Hundreds of disgruntled Calgarians converged on city hall Saturday to protest all three levels of government.
The rally was one of several events held across the country that was hosted by Yellow Vest Canada. The Facebook group started in early December and has amassed more than 55,000 members in less than two weeks.
Most members who showed up at the rally wore yellow construction vests similar to the unofficial uniform of French protesters. In France, people initially gathered to protest an increase in fuel taxes, but that morphed into an expression of rage about the high cost of living and the struggles workers endure.
The event page for Calgary’s rally said that the group is non-partisan, but some protesters, like Maureen Gow-Zelmer, were not shy about their affiliations.
“You will find that most of us are proud conservatives,” she said. “We’re sad that this is happening to our country.”
The topics covered at the protest were wide-ranging and included everything from the carbon tax to freedom of speech.
One item from the recent UN meetings struck a nerve with many protesters.
Merle Terlesky said the UN Migration Compact goes too far, and he sees it as a threat to the country.
“Sovereignty of immigration should be left to Canada,” said Terlesky. “Not an organization in Geneva.”
Both the federal Liberals and provincial NDP took the brunt of the chanting, with many in the crowd hoping for change during the next wave of elections.
“We’ve got enough people to stand up and say stop,” said protester Dave Rowley. “It’s just been one shock after another for this country.”
Saturday’s rally was a peaceful affair, with no signs of counter-protesters.
No further rallies have been scheduled on the group’s Facebook page, but many protesters said they won’t stop until changes are made at each level of government.