(OTTAWA) Opposition group to Quebec’s sanitation measures, Farfadaas, joined the “freedom convoy” in Ottawa with a line of vehicles that, according to their leader, Steeve Charland, measured 107 kilometers on Highway 50. He claimed he was not in control of all members who chose to join his movement.
Posted at 4:40 p.m
Mylene Crete La Presse
“The Farfadaas movement is great, but we are not responsible for all Quebecers,” he replied to one of the commission’s lawyers.
He portrayed his group as peaceful and insisted he fed “hundreds of homeless people from Gatineau and Ottawa” during his stay in the federal capital region. The Farfadaas decided to join the “Freedom Convoy” to “participate in the largest movement in Canada” to “unite the people.”
The group had set up its headquarters in a parking lot in downtown Gatineau that it rented for $1,000 a day, but also had a presence on Rideau Street, just a few miles from Parliament Hill. Ottawa Police were concerned about his presence at the corner of Rideau and Sussex streets, according to Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Patricia Ferguson on Oct. 20. She had portrayed the group as “hostile” and credited them with the closure of the Rideau Mall, the city’s largest.
One of the “Freedom Convoy” organizers, Chris Barber, also testified Tuesday that the Quebecers parked there refused to move their trucks even when asked to do so.
“We haven’t occupied Rideau and Sussex,” replied Mr. Charland. During a press scramble after his testimony, he indicated that he didn’t understand why the farfadaas should be blamed for the people living on the corner of these streets. “People are all tired of being alone and have decided to get up on their own,” he said. I didn’t call anyone to tell them to “block such and such a road”. »
He pointed out that the members of the convoy organized by the Farfadaas, after being escorted by the RCMP to cross the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge, settled down as far as possible on Rideau Street, but that there were already trucks there were. The question came up several times, which visibly annoyed the witness.
He also denied any allegations of violent behavior during the protest and said he had no connection to participants in the blockades in Coutts, Alta., and the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor. The Farfadaas also distributed more than $24,000 to Quebec truckers who did not have access to the goods collected for the “Freedom Convoy.”
Mr Charland said he was not in downtown Ottawa during the massive police operation to clear downtown. However, he was arrested for his participation in the “Freedom Convoy” and served 23 days in prison, claiming he had to accept “severe conditions” including being deprived of his right to speak out on social media.
He ended his testimony before the commission with a lengthy diatribe. “I don’t understand how much we’ve gotten to this point in our country,” he said. He has described himself as a “citizen of the people” who defends Canada’s Constitution and the rights guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.