Freedom Convoy 2 to Gather in Winnipeg in February

Trucks from the convoy protest against COVID-19 mandates and restrictions are parked on a road in Ottawa on Jan. 30, 2022. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

A second iteration of the Freedom Convoy will be heading to Winnipeg, Manitoba, this coming February to commemorate those who supported the movement against federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions in Ottawa last winter.

Dubbed the “World Unity Convoy,” the convoy will gather in Winnipeg for a four-day event starting Feb. 17, 2023.

“We are going to be inviting groups from all over the nation to join us in unity for a better future for solutions for the children across the world and within Canada,” said one of the organizers, nicknamed “Bigbear,” in a Facebook livestream on Christmas Day.

“We’re going to be inviting whoever wants to join us—multicultural and multi-spiritual—on this journey, and we'll be updating you as we go.”

He said Winnipeg was chosen as it is “the middle point in Canada” where people from coast to coast can participate.

“We’ll be able to convoy across the nation,” Bigbear said. “We‘ll build momentum from the West Coast of B.C. to the East Coast ... and we’ll meet in the middle—the heartbeat of Canada.”

Another organizer, Ron Clark, added that there would also be convoys coming “from the north and the south,” as well as groups from other nations convoying simultaneously in their respective countries that day.

“We’ve reached out to many countries, and many countries are so excited for this movement, and they are on board,” the Albertan said.

‘Coming Right by Ottawa’

James Bauder, founder of Canada Unity, acknowledged during the livestream that he had previously announced the new convoy was considering coming to Ottawa.

A report by CTV News on Dec. 19 said the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) had started preparing ahead of a possible Freedom Convoy redux by purchasing equipment.

“How we’re going to approach a Convoy 2.0 is to ensure that the downtown core is safe and that vehicle-based protests don’t occur,” OPS’s new Chief Eric Stubbs told the media outlet.

Social media personality Andy Lee took to Twitter in response to the news the next day, commenting that it’s unlikely that the new convoy will visit the capital.

“Attention” OPS, she wrote. “I’m going to tell you—and I would know, because I meet with organizers weekly—the likelihood of the Freedom Convoy returning to Ottawa in February is very low at this point.”

Lee told The Epoch Times at the time she doesn’t want the city to be wasting resources and that she also reached out directly to the OPS.

In the livestream on Dec. 25, Bauder said the convoy will drive past Ottawa, but in a way that allows residents to join in.

“We’re going to come with our convoy, coming right by Ottawa,” he said. “And we’re going to invite Ottawa residents to, for the first time, get in on a convoy.”

‘Celebration and Commemoration’

Serena Winterburn, spokesperson for Team (Together Everyone Advances Mankind) World Unity, said the convoy next year will not take the form of protest, but of “celebration and commemoration.”

“This is an event held in celebration and commemoration of the citizens across the country and the world that banded together in 2022 with a shared vision and common goal of a stronger, more united nation—one where the rights and freedoms of its citizens are respected and honored,” said Winterburn, also known as “Serena Freedombear” on Facebook, in a video post on Dec. 25.

The four-day assembly will consist of rallies, events, ceremonies, and guest speakers, said the spokesperson, whose group is a new partnership “forged between like-minded, freedom-loving individuals and organizations across Canada.”

“This is a peaceful gathering, so to CSIS [Canadian Security Intelligence Service], you better mark your calendar. To the police, the Winnipeg Police are already aware.”

Noé Chartier contributed to this report.