Thousands flock to B.C. legislature in support of trucker convoy

A huge crowd descended on the lawn of the B.C. legislature building on Saturday in solidarity with the self-described "Freedom Convoy" of truckers and COVID-19 vaccine mandate opponents that converged on Ottawa earlier in the day. (Facebook/BC to Victoria freedom convoy to support the Ottawa run 2022)

A huge crowd descended on the lawn of the B.C. legislature building on Saturday in solidarity with the self-described "Freedom Convoy" of truckers and COVID-19 vaccine mandate opponents that converged on Ottawa earlier in the day.

Video of the crowd posted by organizers on the event's Facebook page showed people bunching tightly together along the roadway, holding signs and cheering to a cacophony of honking car and truck horns.

Few, if any, could be seen wearing face masks.

As of 1:30 p.m., the Victoria Police Department estimated that the crowd included "several hundred" people. By 5 p.m., they had updated their estimate, telling CTV News between 4,000 and 5,000 people attended the protest through the afternoon.

"Traffic is disrupted around the B.C. Legislature and in downtown Victoria due to congestion," a spokesperson said in an email. "We are monitoring the event and working to keep everyone safe."

The B.C. event was organized by We Unify Canada, which describes itself as a group that "works toward an open and just democracy that is resilient in the face of change and worthy of the Canadian people's trust."

Speakers scheduled for the rally included former Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Brian Peckford and Michelle Riddle, a team leader with the Canada Health Alliance, which advocates against vaccine mandates, as well as against mandatory masks, physical distancing and a host of other government measures aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19.

Virtual speakers were expected to include Julie Ponesse - who holds a PhD in philosophy and was dismissed from her role as a professor of ethics at Huron University College last year for refusing to comply with the college's vaccine mandate - and Kari Simpson, who is a campaign chair for FrontLine Canada, an organization that advocates against COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Simpson is well known in B.C. for her activism against the province's SOGI 123 curriculum about sexual orientation and gender identity. 

The Victoria event was one of dozens in cities around the country in support of the main event in Ottawa. Hundreds joined a convoy through Vancouver, with hundreds more gathering on overpasses along the route, which ended at the Lickman Road truck stop in Chilliwack.

Thousands of people - including some truckers who departed B.C. last weekend and drove thousands of kilometres to participate - assembled in the national capital to demand an end to vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions, promising to stay for as long as needed to fulfill their goals.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance issued a statement Saturday saying it appears that a great number of the protestors in and heading to Ottawa “have no connection to the trucking industry and have a separate agenda” beyond the cross-border vaccine requirement.

To the truckers in attendance, the association said their behaviour will impact the “majority of your colleagues from coast-to-coast who do not share your opinion but share your passion for the industry and country.”

With files from Laura Osman and Mia Rabson of The Canadian Press