Some Saskatchewan residents made the long drive to Ottawa to support convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber as their mischief trial verdict is delivered and to campaign for Conservative candidates further east.
Dallon Leger, Tanner Milligan, Claire Manske, and Mike Hovorka as we begin their trek east on March 27. According to a Facebook post by TerMatt, their stated purpose was "to stand behind two courageous Canadians who said enough is enough and for the past 3 years have been politically persecuted by the federal government."
After stops in Winnipeg, Sault Ste Marie, Sudbury, and elsewhere, the four arrived in Ottawa on March 30. On Monday, they attended a campaign launch for Ryan Telford, Conservative candidate for Ottawa West - Nepean.
Leger explained on Facebook, "Coming from Saskatchewan we understand that the vote is decided before our votes from Western Canada are even counted. With this in mind, we decided we would volunteer our time door knocking and putting up signs in this area, hoping that our words will make an impact when it comes to the vote."
The campaign experience offered "a chance to talk one on one with local residents, getting a true understanding of how the [L]iberal government has broken Canada," according to Leger.
In an interview with Western Standard, Leger said the four attended the Freedom Convoy in 2021 and would stand by its leaders today.
"I felt I would be there to stand with them and really all the people that couldn't be there. So that was the reason. It's kind of flourished into doing much more than just sitting in a courtroom for support," Leger explained.
The verdict in the mischief trial for Lich and Barber was initially scheduled for March 12, but was delayed to April 3. The delay in its conclusion was blamed on court backlogs, though it is doubtful any prior verdict in the court had as much national importance.
Coincidentally, Mark Carney won the Liberal leadership on March 9 and was sworn in as Prime Minister March 14.
The day before the verdict is delivered, Leger will join Telford's team to campaign at the doors. He has a spiel in mind.
"I'd just like to introduce myself, that I'm a farmer from Saskatchewan and a business owner, and that the vote is decided [by eastern voters]... And I understand that you guys have the power to change everybody's lives. And I want to tell them that story, and I hope that that encourages them to get out and vote."
Leger says, "I believe the Conservative option is the only option," though he recognizes not all freedom lovers are embracing Poilievre.
"Do I think he's the best choice we have? Pierre? No, I do not, but he's the only choice that we have. And if change doesn't happen, then unfortunately, we're going to be in the exact same situation we are today, pushing for accountability, pushing for a proper leader to lead our country."
If election signs are any indication, Poilievre has strong support in the nation's capital.
"As I'm driving around Ottawa, there is blue signs everywhere. I seen my first Mark Carney signs today (March 31). So what we're seeing on the media side out west is this big push, and that everybody's loving Carney. I'm not seeing it with my own eyes," Leger said.
The farmer is staying at a rural AirBnB and asked his host to explain the political landscape.
"I said, 'I'm seeing blue on every farm yard I drive around, but you guys go all red. What's going on?' And he says, 'Well, yeah, we're blue, but there's always a major city and they go Liberal, and so we're the same as you guys, and you don't even know it, because we're powerless.' And that was eye-opening to me."
Leger says the trip is taking on a life of its own. The four have decided to head to the Maritimes when their stint in Ottawa is done, as Leger's mom lives in New Brunswick. Although freedom signs and Canadian flags are impossible to ignore on the travellers' vehicles, people have been welcoming all along the way.
"Every store we're going into, we're talking to people. Like, I'm just starting conversations, and they've all been positive. I haven't had a single negative reaction yet. I'm trying to go outside of the 'freedom family,'" Leger said.
"We're going to spend some time on the East Coast, driving around, chatting with people there, just trying to understand the truth and just the realness, because I don't know what's real anymore."