"James has been to a civil war," said Veterans for Freedom organizer Tom Marazzo. "I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen here, but there’s a lot of similarities that are, you know, pre-civil wars around the globe — if you look at your history — we don’t want that here. We’re going down a very dark path in this country, and we need help, and we need you guys.”
According to Canada Marches, the meeting was organized with Canadian MPs who agreed to meet with the Canada Marches team. Canada Marches is a group spearheaded by former Canadian Armed Forces member James Topp, which initially opposed COVID-19 health regulations.
Veterans for Freedom is a group that says it aims to "engage in lawful civic action on the ground, and sustain the effort until the fundamental rights of Canadians have been restored," according to the group's website.
“We’re not political — we’re not politicians," Marazzo said. "We don’t understand the world that you guys operate in — we really don’t, but we need you guys to come to our side.”
Topp, who says he was let go from the Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP as a civilian for his stance on COVID-19 regulations,
embarked on a 4,000-kilometre walk from Vancouver to Ottawa in protest. Topp says the meeting, which comes five months after the initial Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa, is about "dissatisfaction with the federal government."
Topp took a break from his march, which had reached
Deep River, Ontario by June 21, to visit Ottawa for the meeting with MPs.
MP voices support for 'Freedom Movement' organizers
During the meeting, a Saskatchewan MP voiced his support of the Canada Marches and Veterans for Freedom.
"The reality is there's one political party that has been represented around this table here today," said Jeremy Patzer, MP for Cypress Hill-Grasslands, Saskatchewan. "You have support — you’ve had support all along. It takes a lot of work and effort to get that message out because it's a message that, in this Ottawa bubble, is not a popular one."
Patzer went on to say that he presented a
petition with over 17,000 signatures that was seeking to reinstate federal leaders who were laid off or removed as a result of COVID-19 vaccination policies. Several other MPs were in attendance during the June 22 meeting.
By Thursday morning, James Topp resumed his march to Ottawa, walking into Laurentian Hills in the Ottawa Valley.
"Freedom Movement" organizers will meet to discuss health at the Centurion Conference & Event Centre. According to the Canada Marches
Eventbrite page, the event will host guests Dr. Paul Alexander, Dr. Jessica Rose, Dr. Pierre Kory, and Citizens For Truth's Ken Drysdale. On June 24, Freedom Movement supporters have an event planned to further discuss COVID-19 health regulations and what they call "government overreach."
