Teach-in, counter protest take place in Regina
Saturday was a day of protests and counter-protests in Regina.
People protesting Conservative Leader and Regina-Qu'Appelle representative Andrew Scheer's "check their privilege" remarks gathered outside his constituency office on Saturday around noon to host a teach-in.
"Andrew Scheer has said a lot of comments that incite a lot of hatred and reflect a lot of racism, and that is an issue here in this province," organizer Julia Owl said.
"I think it's really important that members of the public come out and educate people like Andrew Scheer, who is an elected official, who technically should know a lot more than to make statements that are inflammatory."
She said the afternoon was designed to be a peaceful teach-in that educates people about Indigenous rights and sovereignty and about court cases that recognize those rights.
Lee Prosper, a Willow Cree man from One Arrow First Nation just north of Saskatoon, who now lives in Regina, spoke at the gathering.
He said Scheer's comments amount to systemic racism.
"This hit home. This was a shocker, it made me scared to be in Canada," Prosper said of Scheer's remarks.
Prosper said he's experienced systemic racism his whole life as an Indigenous person.
He said when he's shopping for groceries he's looked at suspiciously by security personnel and unless he wears a suit and tie, he feels people on the street view him as a hoodlum or criminal.
Prosper said Scheer's remarks made him ask himself if anybody really understands where Indigenous people are coming from when they protest.
"Do they know that I'm sitting here peacefully, looking for a job in this society, trying to be a peaceful member of this society, meanwhile, I'm subtly being attacked constantly by the society," he said.
Counter protestors gather at city hall
Meanwhile, around 2 p.m., a counter-protest was staged at Regina city hall by those in opposition to blockades on railways and highways across the country.
Trevor Wowak, the vice president of the Regina Progressive Conservative Association, co-organized the gathering.
He said the gathering was part of a national movement in Canada to stand up against the blockades.
Mario Milanovski, who ran for the People's Party of Canada (PPC) during last year's federal election and plans to participate in the coming provincial election later this year, was one of about 25 people who showed up at city hall.
He said Trudeau didn't go far enough when he said the blockades need to come down on Friday.
"He should have done that in the first place," Milanovski said.
People who attended the teach-in outside Scheer's Regina office eventually made their way south down Albert Street and confronted those gathered outside of city hall.
Discourse between the two groups included economics, government policy, Indigenous rights and sovereignty.
Tracey Sparrowhawk, another former PPC candidate with provincial political aspirations, also attended the rally.
She said the rule of law must be followed and didn't dispute those blockading railways right to protest.
"These people are blocking the roads illegally. They're blocking railroads illegally… we're not impeding anyone's traffic or getting in anyone's way," she said.
Both Milanovski and Sparrowhawk called for the rail blockade, set up in Saskatoon to slow rail traffic, to be peacefully taken down.
