Yellow vests were worn with pride as part of a nation-wide movement.
The Yellow Vest Movement was held in Bonnyville for the first time on Saturday, Dec. 15, as part of a Canada-wide rally.
“We’re trying to raise awareness on some of the issues facing our country. It’s obviously easy for us to say they’re ones faced in Alberta, but the rest of Canada is definitely being effected as well,” explained organizer and participant Leanna Stencell.
Rejene Price and Jennifer Mills showed their support for the movement.
According to Stencell, the movement is about a few main points, such as the United Nation Migration Pact.
“We’re not against immigration in any way. We’re not one of those groups. A lot of people look at us and say ‘oh, they’re anti-immigration,’ but that’s not the case,” she stressed.
What they’re standing for, is immigration done in a socioeconomic and responsible manner.
“We’re going to be mass immigrated by the United Nations. I’m not a prejudice person. I want these people to come to my country, but I want them as we can afford them and take care of them properly,” protestor Roberta Graham said.
She added, there are programs, such as mental health, in Canada that first need to be reviewed before they can sustain immigration.
“It’s so hard to get an appointment. Your first one can take up to three months. A lot can happen in that time,” Graham expressed. “These people have seen war and things that we can’t even imagine, they’re going to need mental health, but we need a system that’s going to be able to take care of them.”
Yellow vests were hung and worn across Canada.
Stencell agreed, “If there’s no opportunity for us, we’re failing those that are coming to our country looking for opportunity.”
Over 35 people stood in the freezing temperatures carrying signs and spreading their message.
Like thousands of other Canadians, all they wanted was for people to listen.
“What the Yellow Vest Movement is looking for, is we want certain political reforms to be looked at. We’re not demanding change immediately, because it can’t happen immediately, but we do have a platform manifesto,” Stencell said. “The people want to be heard.”
A second issue the movement wants addressed, is equalization payments.
Stencell explained that while provinces such as Quebec are receiving these payments from the federal government, other areas such as Alberta are “being left out in the cold.”
“You can only take so much from people who have no more to give, and we really don’t have more to give.”
The movement was being held across the country over the weekend in cities such as Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Toronto.
This was the first time Bonnyville has participated, even though it was held in other communities a few weeks prior as well.
Protestors held their signs up for oncoming traffic.
“We want to leave something for our children. If we allow these aggressive government policies to go unchecked, that’s how thing spiral out of control. Unless people stand up and say something, than it’s okay for it to continue,” said Stencell. “As our signs say, ‘silence is consent.’ Unless we say something, nothing will be done and it will continue to be that it’s okay for it to be done.”
For Graham, seeing the community come together and wearing yellow vests “says that Canada is going to stand together, that people are starting to become educated and aware.”
