Scheer, Moe to headline Moosomin pipeline rally

REGINA Moosomin will become a hotbed of energy activism for two days this month, with Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer set to speak on the heels of an on-to- Ottawa truck convoy.

Scheer and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe will headline a Feb. 16 rally at the Ijack assembly plant just north of the town. Organizer and former SARM president Sinc Harrison is hoping it will attract thousands of supporters who want pipelines built on the Prairies.

“It’s so obvious that we need pipelines, both Trans Mountain and Energy East, to get the oil from the Prairie region to the coast,” Harrison said. “I almost think that countries around the world that we import oil from must be sitting there laughing at us.”

Glen Carritt of the United We Roll! Convoy for Canada feels much the same way. He said his group rebranded from its previous name of Yellow Vest (Official) Convoy, because of some problems with “professionalism” on an associated Facebook page. The drivers plan to stop in Moosomin on Feb. 15 to dine at A&W. He said it’s disappointing they’ll miss the politicians by only one day.

He said his convoy will likely be past Dryden, Ont., by the time Scheer takes the microphone.

Harrison wanted to work with

another convoy, this one organized by the pro-oil group Rally 4 Resources. It was set to pass through Moosomin at roughly the same time.

However, that fell apart as Rally 4 Resources tried to distance itself from what was then the Yellow Vest convoy. Its leaders had concerns about the extreme views expressed by some in the Yellow Vest movement, which opposes what it calls “uncontrolled immigration.”

With their favoured convoy off the road, Harrison decided to organize a rally instead and reach out to big-name speakers. He said the date was determined by Scheer’s schedule.

The United We Roll! convoy’s arrival the day previous is “just coincidental.”

Moe confirmed his attendance last week. Harrison said he also invited premiers Doug Ford of Ontario and Rachel Notley of Alberta, although both declined. The premiers of New Brunswick and Manitoba have not yet responded, he said.

The event begins at 11 a.m. and is expected to last roughly an hour and a half.

It will be followed by a barbecue with hamburgers supplied by local cattlemen.

Saskatchewan Senator Denise Batters will help round out the list of speakers.

She said she plans to blast the federal government over Bill C-69. Harrison is 100 per cent behind her on that.

The bill, which Batters calls “terrible,” seeks to overhaul Canada’s pipeline approval process. It’s currently before a Senate committee for review. Batters said she wants to see “drastic changes.”

“For this bill, minor tinkering will not be enough,” she said. “I find this bill to be almost unfixable.”