Pro-oil rally brings large crowd in front of Calgary City Hall
Posted Dec 17, 2018 9:33 am.
Last Updated Dec 17, 2018 7:06 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY – Thousands rallied in front of Calgary City Hall over the noon hour Monday in support of Alberta oil, with the massive crowd holding signs and chanting “build that pipe”.
The event is being put on by the group Canada Action and comes two weeks after the decision by the provincial government to curtail oil production.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi and all of the city councillors were in attendance. The mayor also spoke in French, which drew some booing from the crowd.
“We need all of our allies to hear us,” Nenshi told the crowd. “Our anger is good, our anger forces us to do good work, but when our anger is directed against our fellow Canadians, we don’t get our work done. Use that anger to fire yourself up, to make sure we continue to change hearts and minds. And let’s get that pipeline built.
“It is about doing what’s right for Canada, doing what’s right for the world. Make no mistake, here in Calgary, things are not great. Look around you at all of those beautiful office towers. One out of four of them is empty.”
READ MORE: Albertans rallying for solutions to oil industry woes
Ward 1 Councillor Ward Sutherland says they need to show they support all Calgarians.
“On a municipal level, our authority is pretty limited, it’s not like the province and the (federal government), but we can influence things, and we came together with a couple of things that we can do that are cost-effective to help out a little bit and to let them know that we’re there,” said Sutherland.
WATCH: Rally organizers: Leave yellow vests at home
A volley of boos also rang out when Coun. Peter Demong pointed out that Quebec City council supports pipeline construction and, therefore, Calgary residents should buy Canadian cheese, not take part in trade boycotts.
-With files from CityNews
