The organizers of a so-called “Freedom Convoy” that paralyzed Ottawa for a month in February announced a 2023 gathering in Winnipeg.
Organizers announced the plans to hold a “World Unity Convoy” in Winnipeg in a Facebook Live video Dec. 25, from a page called “Canada Unity”. They say the event will focus on “solutions for a better world for all Canadians,” inviting supporters to join them from Feb. 17-21, 2023.
James Bauder, one of the 2022 Ottawa convoy organizers, said in the video that organizers chose Winnipeg as it is in the middle of the country.
The Winnipeg “Freedom Convoy” protests saw heavy trucks and demonstrators occupy Broadway Avenue in front of the Legislature for nearly three weeks in February. The protests were the subject of several noise complaints, and reports of harassment.
Michael Kempa, associate professor of criminology at the University of Ottawa, says organizers said they were setting up for a defined period of time — much like in their recent announcement.
“We can’t be certain that that period of time will be respected because it was not last time,” he said.
Kempa says the group used the pandemic as a way of moving forward this type of protest, which he says the group has been “kicking” around for years.
“Given that we now see most mandates no longer exist, we can be even more confident that this time around, it has nothing to do with COVID-19, and it never really did in the first place,” he said.
In a statement to Global News, the Winnipeg Police Service said they are aware of online discussions about a group planning an event in Winnipeg in February, but did not have any further comment at this time.
A spokesperson for the provincial justice minister said in a statement that justice officials are gathering information about the event, and that while Manitobans have the right to peacefully and lawfully protest, citizens also have a right to live without significant disruption, and that anyone not abiding by those rules would be referred to law enforcement.
Kempa says it’s important for Canadians to keep their eyes on this movement as he says it has not disappeared since the end of February’s convoys.
“Democracy, of course, requires vigilance, but it does not require us to be on edge and overly panicked about what may be coming our way,” he said.
Global News reached out to “Canada Unity,” but did not receive a reply at the time of writing.