A convoy of at least 100 trucks is driving from Alberta to Parliament Hill to draw attention to what it says is Ottawa鈥檚 lack of support for the energy sector.
The convoy left Red Deer, Alta. on Thursday and is expected to arrive in Ottawa next Tuesday for a three-day rally. The group gave an open invitation to yellow vest protesters to join, and is hoping to raise $100,000 to fuel their efforts.
Lead organizer Glen Carritt told CTV News Channel that the federal government needs to listen to supporters of the energy sector.
鈥淥ur oil and gas sector are in dire needs and [the sector] is good for the whole country,鈥� he said.
The convoy鈥檚 first stop was Regina. Carritt estimated there were between 100 and 150 trucks for the first leg of the journey but expects at least 80 trucks to eventually make it all the way to Ottawa.
Some trucks carried signs which read, 鈥淎lberta has had enough,鈥� 鈥淐anadian oil before Saudi oil,鈥� and 鈥淎xe the carbon oil tax.鈥�
鈥淲e need immediate action for pipelines for the Energy East, Trans Mountain 鈥� to get our product to tide water,鈥� Carritt said. He boasted that Canada has the in the world but that, 鈥渨e鈥檙e not using our own product.鈥�
He argued Canada 鈥渁lready has the best standards in the world鈥� but criticized what he saw as the government鈥檚 attempts to overregulate at the federal and provincial levels.
Carritt said it was 鈥渞idiculous that this government doesn鈥檛 listen to what鈥檚 going on out here.鈥�
Carritt created to help pay for fuel and incidentals for the convoy. As of Thursday, $55,244 has been raised, which is just over half of their $100,000 goal.
The Liberal government has invested billions in building pipelines 鈥� sometimes to the dismay of the Conservatives and NDP.
Last May, the Liberal government spent $4.5 billion to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline from Kinder Morgan in hopes of saving the project from being scrapped. The expansion would add 980 kilometres of new pipeline from Alberta to B.C. and nearly triple the pipeline鈥檚 capacity.
The NDP criticized the purchase as rushed, while Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said the project is costing Canadians billions.
Trudeau admitted in a town hall event in Regina last month that he didn鈥檛 run in 2015 on a plan to build the pipeline, but he defended the decision as a balanced solution.
鈥淚t was in my platform that I was going to grow the economy and protect the environment at the same time and do it in thoughtful and responsible ways,鈥� he said.
Last February, the Trudeau government introduced in the House of Commons, which would change how natural resource projects are judged. This would include replacing the National Energy Board with a Canadian Energy Regulator and creating an agency to assess projects鈥� environmental impacts.
Detractors of the bill argue it will stall current projects鈥� timelines. Supporters say it鈥檚 important to consider the environment when analyzing natural resource projects.
Bill C-48, or the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, would halt crude oil tanker traffic on British Columbia鈥檚 North Coast and prohibit tankers from unloading crude oil at northern B.C. ports.
Carritt called for the bill to be 鈥渁bolished鈥� and argued that doing so would open up Canadian oil to the rest of the world.
Karl Nielsen, another convoy participant, agreed.
鈥淟et鈥檚 sell our oil and gas while we can still sell it and while we can get a good price for it. Let鈥檚 not be foolish about this. We need this industry right now,鈥� he said.
