Freedom Convoy greeted in Winnipeg by thousands of people to show support, 73-year-old from Cold Lake joins convoy

The Freedom Convoy just entered Winnipeg where thousands of people lined the streets to show their support.

In the lead truck, driver Pat King was brought to tears as thousands of Canadians gave high fives to his truck and shouted kind words of support as they slowly rolled into Winnipeg.

“I just smudged with my brothers and sisters on the side of the Highway,” Pat King said on his live feed on Facebook which had about ten thousand viewers.

King says the Freedom Convoy was also greeted by The Hutterites who prepared an immense amount of food to feed the convoy.

“They made sandwiches, cooked four pigs,” King said. “25 colonies came together to cook us all this food.”

King says people of all ethnicities lined the street in Winnipeg as the convoy rolled in and their convoy is uniting people in Canada and around the world who demand change to COVID-19 mandates.

Drivers in the Freedom Convoy were also given items and snacks through their windows by the people of Winnipeg to keep fueling their cause.

“The support is absolutely amazing,” King said in the Facebook live video.

Cold Lake man on his way to join the convoy

A 73-year old man from Cold Lake is on his way to meet the Freedom Convoy and should arrive in Winnipeg by nightfall.

Jack Lock has lived in Cold Lake since 2004 and deiced to make the drive to Ottawa to show his support for the Freedom Convoy.

“Well, I’ve been hearing about this truck convoy over the vaccine mandate and it’s very close to my heart,” Lock told Lakeland Connect. “I want to do whatever I can to help save this country from the people running it. So I’m going to Ottawa.”

Lock says the Federal Government “Needs to take their hands off the wheel.”

“Turn the country loose,” Lock said. “Just let us be ourselves. Get out of our homes, out of our churches, and our businesses.”

Lock says the country needs to be reset to the pre-pandemic status so regular Canadian’s can do what they have always done, live.

The 73-year-old, who is dubbed a freedom fighter by family, says he plans to exercise his right to protest the mandates and should catch up to the 70 km long convoy soon.

“I will be in Winnipeg tonight,” Lock said.

Federal Government not backing down

Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, the Minister of Labour, the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, and the President of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, Stephen Laskowski, issued the following statement:

“The global COVID-19 pandemic continues to have an impact on all Canadians. Within the trucking industry, the pandemic has led to unprecedented challenges. Despite these circumstances, truckers have delivered for Canadians.”

“Vaccines, medications, personal protective equipment, food, and supplies continue to arrive where they need to be thanks to the efforts of our dedicated commercial truck drivers.”

“The vast majority of all consumer products and food are shipped by trucks. Furthermore, the trucking industry remains vital to Canada and injects billions of dollars into the economy.”

“Since the outset of the pandemic, the Government of Canada and the Canadian Trucking Alliance have engaged regularly with one another and with other key partners to identify emerging issues and mitigate disruptions. This engagement has been critical to keeping trucks moving, while also keeping Canadians safe from COVID-19.”

“The Government of Canada and the Canadian Trucking Alliance both agree that vaccination, used in combination with preventative public health measures, is the most effective tool to reduce the risk of COVID-19 for Canadians, and to protect public health.”

“As the pandemic continues, it remains critical that essential goods reach Canadians as quickly as possible. In fact, this is a top priority for the Government of Canada and the Canadian Trucking Alliance.”

“To reach this goal, and to bolster Canada’s economic recovery and long-term competitiveness, it’s important to tackle two major challenges facing industry – supply chain constraints and labour shortages.”

“These issues are not easy to solve, and they must be addressed by long-term strategies that will achieve real and lasting results.”

“Moving forward, the Government of Canada, the Canadian Trucking Alliance, and the industry at large will continue our shared dialogue on the challenges facing this sector. By working together, we are confident that we can find solutions that will help Canadians and industry alike.”