A Slow Roll convoy travelled Hwy. 1A and areas of Cochrane today, and a second Historic Downtown rally is slated for tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 6.
Shortly after noon today, about 50 vehicles paraded from the Cochrane Ranche to Gleneagles along Hwy. 1A for several laps. The vehicles were decked out with Canada flags and the occasional Alberta flag. Stickers with words like "Honk, Honk!" and "You are Powerful. Start acting like It!" were applied to several vehicles before departing the Cochrane Ranche. Along the routes, horns were blasted and participants waved.
Adam lead the convey with his small tractor. In its bucket was a sign reading "End the Mandates." He says it's about showing solidarity with those rallying in Ottawa, Coutts, Calgary, and across the nation.
"We need to have these mandates ended immediately," he says. "They are entirely unscientific and they're based on corporate media propaganda. They need to end the discrimination against all people, including the unvaccinated and the single vaccinated."
"This is not the country that I want to hand down to my children, and I will do whatever I can possibly do to change it so that my children can grow up free."
For 17 years, Kenny lived abroad in several countries but says he's never experienced anything like what's happening in Canada right now.
"I think there's a grand awakening happening. It's strange to me how some people still question the validity of our complaints, and yet here we are. There are so many strange things happening, and it's a real assault on our rights."
He believes that common sense should prevail and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must sit down with protesters.
"They're being very subversive. They're blocking food, they're blocking water, they're blocking all kinds of things. These are Canadian citizens. This is a First World Nation. Where are we? What's happening? None of this makes any sense."
Nadine Wellwood, who ran for the People's Party of Canada in the last two federal elections and sought an Alberta nomination for senate, has spoken at several rallies, including those in Kelowna, B.C., and Airdire.
"This is Canadians coming together to have their voices heard. It's about ending the mandates and bringing the country together, no more discrimination, no more segregation."
She believes Prime Minister Trudeau's response has been shameful and has escalated the situation.
"It's his job to meet with all Canadians, to listen to them, and he hasn't even had the respect or common decency to do that."
She believes COVID has brought to the forefront a rising concern over how we're governed.
"The government is not the solution. The government is the problem. The last two years have really brought that to the surface and made it very evident that the government believes they are rulers, not representatives."
Deborah Murphy says tomorrow's rally takes place on 1st St. W. in the Historic Downtown starting at 2 p.m. She also organized the first one on Jan. 30, which attracted several hundred people.
