Thousands demonstrated in major Canadian cities on Sunday (September 21) as thousands more demonstrated worldwide as part of the People’s Climate March ahead of the UN Climate Summit in New York City Tuesday.
Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver were some of the cities in which demonstrators marched for government action on climate change.
Numbers of Canadians individually or in groups headed down to New York City, the focus of the People’s Climate March, and site of the UN Climate Summit on Tuesday.
Among the demonstrators, Sierra Club Canada program director John Bennett who criticized Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his lack of action on climate change.
“We want to bring a message to the United Nations and to Mr. Harper that we want to see some real action to reduce our emissions and that means stop betting on fossil fuels and doing things to reduce our emissions, and to help the rest of the world do the same,” Bennett said.
Also in the New York demonstration, actor Leonardo Di Caprio and singer Sting who marched with Canadian Indigenous demonstrators.
In the city of Calgary, in the western oil rich province of Alberta, only about 300 people showed up for the demonstration.
David Swann, a Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly, said even though many Albertans are concerned by climate change, they are also concerned about speaking out.
“There’s so much fear in the province, doctors won’t even be quoted in the media,” he said. “Social workers, teachers – everybody is afraid to offend the body that feeds us, or so we believe.”
More information:
Toronto Star – 3,000 join climate march at Nathan Phillips Square – here
CTV News – Canadians join global climate protest in NYC – here
Vancouver Observer – Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio and Sting were marching with Canada’s Indigenous leaders against the tar sands at the Peoples’ Climate March in New York – here
Metro Calgary – Albertans scared to ‘offend’ the oil industry, Calgary Climate March organizers say – here
United Nations Climate Summit website – www.un.org/climatechange/summit
People’s Climate Change website – peoplesclimate.org
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