Yellow Vest movement continues in southern Alberta

Truck convoy joins protest The Yellow Vest protests continued in Alberta on Saturday between Medicine Hat and Brooks. Kathy Le reports.

Hundreds of vehicles drove in a convoy between Medicine Hat and Brooks on Saturday in peaceful protest against the policies against the Trudeau government.

The protesters, mainly made up of oil and gas workers, were peacefully demonstrating while wearing yellow vests, a symbol that has become synonymous with such action over the past while.

Some of the attendees say their hearts are with oil and gas workers who are suffering right now because they know how hard the work can be.

“You have to go out in -30 weather some nights and they’ve got to do the same in 30 degrees above,” said Dave Rowley. “One thing I like about working in the oilfield is that you get to meet people from all over Canada and all over the world.”

He says that it’s become common for people to fly in and out of their home provinces to make a living in Alberta, but all that is going to be gone under Trudeau’s policies.

“I want to have my kids to have the same opportunity. I came out here from Saskatchewan because I wanted that opportunity and I was able to find it. I still work in the oil industry; in an office rather than the field right now, but our American colleagues kind of snicker at us when they see what’s happening in our industry compared to what’s happening in the U.S.”

Tammy Pastachak, a realtor in Brooks, says that oil and gas has been her entire life.

“My husband’s an oilman; many of our family and friends are in the oil industry. I love this industry. I am proud of this industry and fully support this industry and the people in it.”

The mayor of Brooks, Barry Morishita, says that the demonstration in his community was very passionate.

He says that the industry has suffered quite a bit and the rest of Canada is being kept in the dark about how much it means to the country’s economy.

“The public needs to be told and every politician needs to do that and every citizen has a responsibility to listen and make a good decision. We know that the oil industry is vitally important to this country’s economy and it’s also important to every single Canadian that it supports.”

While the federal government pledged $1.6B to support the oil industry earlier this week, many critics say that that isn’t enough.

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-announces-1-6b-in-funding-for-alberta-s-struggling-oil-and-gas-sector-1.4222467

“We need a pipeline. We need people working for us, not for themselves in this country,” said protester Bill Anderson.

"This country needs to understand it's a driver of our economy and we need this sector to work better than it is now,” said Bow River MP Martin Shields.

There is a similar rally scheduled in Drumheller on Sunday morning.

(With files from Kathy Le and Zayn Jinah)