‘Election Convoy’ Plans Traffic Jams Across Canada to Force Trudeau to Call a Snap Election
I talked to one of the lead organizers of the so-called ‘Election Convoy’. Here’s what they told me about their plans.
One of the lead organizers of the so-called ‘Election Convoy’ says their group plans to create traffic jams on roadways across Canada until Justin Trudeau gives up and calls a snap election.
Shana Lee, who also goes by the name “Qweenie” online, is one of several organizers behind the Election Convoy and calls herself “the lead” for a convoy specifically heading to Ottawa.
I talked to Qweenie on the phone this week while she was in the middle of getting a “Freedom Convoy” tattoo on her arm in Regina. Here’s what Qweenie told me about the Election Convoy’s plans.
Nation-wide 60 km/h ‘Slow Roll’ Protests
Qweenie told me the Election Convoy is planning “slow rolls” in cities across Canada to pressure Justin Trudeau into calling an election.
“The only thing that’s in stone is that we’re doing the slow rolls in all the cities,” Qweenie said, with the main “slow roll” happening in Ottawa. “We’re gonna have a convoy of trucks and cars and stuff that will drive 60 on that main highway, 417, and around into Wellington Street a couple of times.”
“What it does is it slows down the rest of the traffic so they wonder ‘what the hell is going on?’,” Qweenie explained. “It’s to slow down the traffic to bring awareness to what we’re doing.”
“We know we can't stay because they put in a bunch of laws in Ottawa where you can’t idle for more than 10 minutes,” referring to a City of Ottawa by-law prohibiting vehicles from idling more than 10 minutes in an effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition to Ottawa, slow rolls are planned in Toronto, Montréal, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Kingston, Windsor and Thunder Bay. These slow rolls are organized in private Facebook Group chats each with 50 to 100 members.
The Election Convoy has previously issued a statement clarifying that this new convoy will “not involve blockades or any form of obstruction to public infrastructure or essential services.”
Qweenie confirmed her convoy has so far had no contact with Ottawa Police: “I haven’t had talks with police at all.”
‘Sick and Tired’ of Waiting for an Election
What does the Election Convoy want? Qweenie says they oppose Trudeau’s decision to prorogue parliament because they simply don’t want to wait two or three months for the next federal election.
“People are sick and tired of this waiting around business. It doesn’t fly with us. We wanted him out so long ago and then to sit there and play us and make us look like silly citizens by sitting here waiting for him.”
“Something doesn’t smell right about them putting off Justin Trudeau out of parliament until March.”
“There’s something not right and that’s what I think Canadians are feeling right now is that we need to find out what’s smelling like fish over there.”
Qweenie speculates the decision to prorogue parliament may be connected to Trudeau’s pension: “I don’t know if it has something to do with his pension, which we are highly suspective of … I got to do a little more digging into it.”
(Canadian MPs are eligible to receive pensions after six years of service. Trudeau, who was first elected as an MP in 2008, became eligible to receive a pension in 2014. Prime ministers are eligible to receive an additional retirement allowance after holding office for four years.)
Rejects Freedom Convoy Leaders’ Disavowals
Qweenie also responded to a recent report from ConvoyWatch noting many original Freedom Convoy leaders are publicly disavowing the Election Convoy and telling their followers not to get involved.
“My take on that is I know a lot more about those people than the public knows,” Qweenie said, adding that in her opinion, Chris Barber and Tamara Lich’s roles in the original Freedom Convoy have been exaggerated.
Qweenie noted she first “started with the Yellow Vest in Alberta,” participated in the Freedom Convoy’s “Zello” chats and also “funded and was a pioneer of the Save the Children Convoy that fell apart last summer.”
“A lot of people know me, a lot of people trust me. I’ve done convoys before. My best friend is Pat King.”
How the Election Convoy Started
Qweenie says the Election Convoy first began when someone named “John” started a Facebook Group on January 7. Although she’s one of the lead organizers, Qweenie clarified that she does not actually know who John is, but she thinks he lives in Nova Scotia.
“They just started a page and then reached out to some of us and I reached out to them, sent them an email, told them: ‘Look I’m willing to do whatever you need me to do because I believe in my country and I’m ready to die for this shit if that’s what has to happen’.”
Qweenie emphasizes that the Election Convoy is “very organic” – “it’s completely organic right now, Luke.”
“All of a sudden, just one day, this protest came up and I emailed and it just shot out – we’ve only been seven days since they even announced this.”
“It’s going viral.”