An oil field worker from Williams Lake is one of several hundred people protesting with the United We Roll Convoy at Parliament Hill in Ottawa today.
Robert Bennetts works in the oil fields of northeastern B.C. and northwestern Alberta.
He told MyCaribooNow that the policies of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are affecting the industry he works in and that he felt it was time for him to stand up for what he believes in and to protect his income.
“It’s incredible the support that we had coming across the country,” he says.
“It was just insane and when we got into Ontario it just got better. I was really surprised by the support we had coming into Ontario. I thought that would kind of peter off but it just got stronger and stronger.”
Bennetts says he left Williams Lake and went to work for 14 days before joining the Convoy last week in Red Deer, Alberta.
He says the Convoy will be at Parliament Hill today and tomorrow with a Convoy from the east joining them.
With Bennetts’ trip to Ottawa costing about $4,000, Bennetts says donations from his friends and coworkers have covered about half to two-thirds of the costs.
“My concerns are to get the pipelines built and get rid of this over-regulation that’s plaguing us,” he says.
“One thing that I’d like to see but it isn’t really part of this protest is democratic reform so that people have more of a voice when it comes to bills that are passed in the house.”
“I would definitely do this again if I had to.”