Montreal held the largest environmental demonstration in the history of Canada this past Sunday. At 2pm, bells rang in 1200 churches across the province. In downtown Montreal, people gathered and you could not see the end of this massive human wave. Apparently, there were so many people that the metro system could not handle the traffic and some people could not even make it to the demonstration!
We were 250 000 strong when I went on stage to speak to the crowd. I said, “The future of our children cannot go through a pipeline. It cannot be captured in a barrel of oil. It cannot be bought or sold at the stock market. Protecting our future does not belong to the right or the left. It is not a partisan issue. It is a fundamental right. A moral imperative. Stop intimidating environmental groups, first nations and human rights groups! We are 250,000 and we are taking back our rights”.
Their response was like thunder.
Buses came from 50 different cities throughout Quebec. Dozens of artists were with us, along with the three major unions. We created the largest human tree ever made.
Among the participants were 40 Innu women from Sept-Iles who had walked 800km to protest the Plan Nord, Quebec’s plan to open up the North and the province’s last virgin ecosystems to major industrial development and mining.
You can read our demands in the declaration that is hosted on DSF’s website, and signed by over 50,000 people.
DSF along with Equiterre, Greenpeace, AQLPA, Earth Day Quebec and many other groups were the organizers for the event. Cirque du Soleil, major Montreal festivals, the city of Montreal, churches, unions, student associations and so many others helped us. There were more than 1000 volunteers. People demonstrated peacefully, but the message was strong: we are the citizens and this is our land. We get to decide what to do.
Don’t let anyone tell you that people in this country can’t rise when it’s important.
Karel Mayrand, Director General David Suzuki Foundation Quebec