Photo credit: Twitter via @Energy_Citizens
Pro-pipeline rallies continue throughout Canada, and there is great speculation that these protests will eventually extend to Ottawa.
Starting in Alberta, protesters are rallying against Bill C-48 and Bill C-69 in an attempt to pressure the federal government to get a move on with pipeline construction.
These protesters mainly consist of truck drivers from the oil and gas industry. Vehicles ranging from pickups to semis, are coming together with lights flashing and horns honking.
Bills C-48 and C-69 are said to have damaging effects on the oil and gas sectors, leaving an even greater effect on Alberta’s overall economy.
As of January 1st, the Alberta government introduced an oil production cut of 8.7%, which adds up to about 325,000 less barrels per day. Without pipelines in Alberta, transporting oil to foreign markets stands as a nearly impossible task.
Bill C-48 bans a great amount of oil tankers from being loaded or unloaded on British Columbia’s northern coast.
Bill C-69 introduces the Impact Assessment as a replacement for the previous Federal Environmental Assessment. The main difference is an expanded scope of the assessment process and consultation with groups, such as Indigenous groups that may be affected.
Truckers are holding protests all across Alberta in support of the oil and gas industry with one main goal: to pressure the federal and provincial government to take action by fast-tracking pipeline construction.
Truckers are losing wages and they are not happy about it.
Trucks were notably seen to consist of signs that write “build the pipelines feed the families” and other catchphrases that talk down on current PM, Justin Trudeau such as “TruDope Lies” and “Trudeau pays the media to lie to us.”
In an attempt to defuse the situation, earlier this month the federal government announced it would spend $1.6 billion on helping energy companies struggling as a result of plunging oil prices.
However, Jason Nixon, provincial representative of Rocky Mountain House claims that what Alberta really wants is pipelines.
Come February, these protesters are said to make their way from Western Canada to Ottawa.
Only then, with hundreds of protesters at Parliaments front door, will we see how this situation will unfold.