Thousands of Montrealers march for climate activism
Protesters rally for climate action, calling for improved efforts to reduce fossil fuel emissions
Over a thousand protesters gathered at the George-Étienne Cartier monument on Sept. 27 for a national day of action for climate change. The protest, organized by Fridays for Future Canada, was one of many occurring simultaneously across Canada.
The Syndicat des Cols bleus regroupés de Montréal, a labour union group focused on promoting social justice, facilitated the march. A multitude of organizations were also present in solidarity, including the climate organization Coalition québécoise des lacs incompatibles avec l’activité minière and the Québec solidaire political party, with an appearance from its leader, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
Protesters were loud and lively as they marched down Park Ave. before turning on Sherbrooke St. W., making their way across downtown Montreal towards Place du Canada. Among the crowd, some protestors pounded drums and played instruments while others waved signs with slogans such as “We are not fossil fools,” “Let’s leave the dinosaurs alone” and “Lets burn capitalism, not the planet.”
“The climate is in a disastrous state at the moment,” said Jennifer, a climate activist at the protest who has been granted anonymity. “The Paris Agreement stipulated 1.5 C as the maximum increase for global warming. In 2023, the Earth surpassed warming beyond that point. Unfortunately, the governments of the world have not made the necessary changes to bring that back down again.”
Frustration, unrest and urgent calls for action were the themes of the protest. Many protestors expressed disdain at what they feel is government inaction towards climate change mitigation efforts.
“It’s important for us because, the more people that resist the status quo, the more changes will occur,” said Mikellena Nettos, a former employee at The Climate Reality Project Canada who attended the march. “Hopefully we can reduce emissions to move towards a greener and more communal future.”
Mehramat Kaye, a volunteer for multiple NGOs and organizations such as Environnement Jeunesse, described her experience in advocating for climate action.
“I’ve started volunteering for NGOs since high school now, so three years. It’s a core value of mine,” Kaye said. “As an optimistic person, I think it’s very important for people to be here today and spread awareness for the cause.”
Jennifer expressed her optimism in seeing so many young faces at the protest.
“I think it’s amazing that so many young people are here today taking a stand,” she said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think my generation has been effective in caring for the environment. We’ve been complacent.”
As a woman in her sixties, she explained that compared to younger generations, she feels much of the older generation are more guilty of supporting banks and other big companies that are titans of the oil industry.
“[My generation has] been siding with three Canadian banks among the strongest supporters of the oil industry in the world,” Jennifer said. “That includes RBC, TD and Scotiabank.”
Ending the march just outside Bonaventure metro and Place du Canada, activists finished with a closing round of drumming to complete the parade through the city.
“I think what people need a lot of the time is the right avenues for action,” Nettos said. “And I think this [march] is a good place to get started.”
