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Alberta-based Maverick party denies involvement in fund raising for 㽶Ƶֱfreedom convoy㽶Ƶֱ

Governing council member and secretary organized fundraiser for truckers opposed to vaccine mandate
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Supporters cheered on a procession of trucks on Sunday morning, Jan. 23, as they passed through Langley en route to Ottawa to protest a requirement that cross-border drivers must be vaccinated or quarantine for 14 days.. (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)

When a convoy of trucks passed through the Lower Mainland on Sunday, Jan. 23, heading for Ottawa to protest a vaccine mandate that requires cross-border drivers to be vaccinated, hundreds turned out along the route to show support, waving flags and signs.

Since the 㽶ƵֱFreedom Convoy㽶Ƶֱ was first announced, many have also contributed to a GoFundMe campaign, which had raised close to $4 million as of Monday.

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It was launched by Tamara Lich, secretary and member of the western Canadian governing council of the Alberta-based Maverick party, which has supported separation from Canada by the western provinces and creation of a 㽶Ƶֱwestern nation.㽶Ƶֱ

On Monday, the party issued a statement saying it was .

Interim leader Jay Hill said 㽶Ƶֱsome Maverick members and supporters have chosen to support the convoy.㽶Ƶֱ

㽶ƵֱMaverick does not support anti-vaccination but does support freedom-of-choice and a citizen㽶Ƶֱs right to decide what they do with their own bodies,㽶Ƶֱ Hill said.

㽶ƵֱLike the majority of Canadians, most Maverick members have chosen to be vaccinated, some have not. Our party will not condemn either for their choice.㽶Ƶֱ

It included a statement by Lich, who said the convoy was 㽶Ƶֱnot about vax or anti-vax or covid. It is about restoring Canada㽶Ƶֱs rights and freedoms. Freedom to open businesses, freedom to hug your friends, go to restaurants and movies, etc.㽶Ƶֱ

In response to follow-up queries by the Langley Advance Times, party spokesperson Leah Murray said Lich was 㽶Ƶֱvolunteering as an individual, completely separate from [the] Maverick Party.㽶Ƶֱ

Murray was asked if any of the funds raised by Lich were going to the party.

㽶ƵֱI don㽶Ƶֱt know who gets what㽶ƵֱMaverick Party is NOT involved on any level,㽶Ƶֱ Murray said.

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GoFundMe was reportedly reviewing the convoy campaign, but as of Monday afternoon, the company had not responded to a request for clarification, and neither had Lich.

On the Maverick party website, the biography of the Alberta-born Lich reports she had a career in the oil and gas industry before she joined the interim board for Wexit Alberta.

After a merger between Wexit Alberta and the Freedom Conservative party to create the Wildrose Independence Party, Lich joined the board of Wexit Canada, later renamed the y.

Maintaining what it calls a 㽶Ƶֱtwin-track㽶Ƶֱ policy, the party advocates separation from the rest of Canada 㽶Ƶֱ unless the federal government makes changes that include ending equalization payments from have- to have-not provinces, scrapping the carbon tax and changing to the constitution to restrict federal powers.

Meanwhile, the Langley-based (BCTA), in response to a Langley Advance Times query, issued a statement by president and CEO Dave Earle distancing the organization from the truckers in the convoy.

㽶ƵֱBCTA is not involved with nor supportive of the convoy in any manner,㽶Ƶֱ said Earle.

According to the BCTA website, association members operate about 16,000 vehicles, and employ over 26,000 people.

The Canadian Truck Alliance has also ,with president Stephen Laskowski saying the Alliance 㽶Ƶֱstrongly disapproves㽶Ƶֱ of any protests on public roadways.

All truckers who cross the border from Canada into the U.S. must be vaccinated to avoid a 14-day quarantine under a new policy passed last Saturday (Jan. 15).


Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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Dan Ferguson

About the Author: Dan Ferguson

Best recognized for my resemblance to St. Nick, I㽶Ƶֱm the guy you㽶Ƶֱll often see out at community events and happenings around town.
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