With green ribbons in hand, they set up a human chain at the foot of Mount Royal on Saturday with more than 300 demonstrators calling on governments to do more in the fight against climate change.
Most of the rally participants, wearing scarves or green accessories, lined up on the edge of Avenue du Park before walking the metropolitan streets.
The event, organized by members of the Inter-Union Climate Network (RIC), sought to remind Canada that it has lost the “goal” of greenhouse gas reductions set out in the Paris Climate Agreement. Performed simultaneously with 26E The climate conference was held in Glasgow, Scotland.
“We are half way to COP26 […] There are 190 world leaders pointing fingers at each other and making nice speeches. But what we are asking for is action, “said Anne Dion, vice president of the Central des du Quebec (CSQ) and RIC spokeswoman.
Patrick Bonin, who is in charge of the Climate-Energy Campaign for Greenpeace Canada, called on citizens to get involved in turning green. “We are one of the most mobilized companies in the world, not only to prevent bad projects, but also to demand a fair transition for all workers. [et] All communities, ”he said.
“We think about our future”
Stephanie Cloutier attended the rally with her two daughters. A teacher and union spokesman expressed concern over the future of his children and students. “It is important that we mobilize, this is what we can do against environmental concerns, I think,” she said.
“It’s a unique planet. We think about our future and imagine all the consequences [les changements climatiques] May have, ”his daughter Stella Tremble added.
The impact of climate change is also visible in the classroom, said Catherine Beauvais-Saint-Pierre, president of the Alliance des Professors de Montreal. “We’ve been seeing this for a lot of years, when we talk about heatwaves at the beginning of the school year, when we talk about heatwaves at the end of the year,” she says.
The Alliance believes it has a role to play in educating its members about the importance of their commitment to the environment. “Sometimes, these problems can go a long way [d’environnement] About our union problems, ”explained Catherine Beauvais-Saint-Pierre.
For Bertrand Gayboard, Secretary-General of CSN’s Central Council of Metropolitan Montreal, we need to realize that fair environmental transformation leads not only to political change, but also to social change. “The changes that need to be made are at all levels,” he said. Workers must have their say in the process.
The motivation for Jonathan Provost’s involvement in the environmental cause is very simple. “I want to live,” he said immediately Tap. “If we don’t, no one will. Not particularly powerful people, ”he continued.
“True democracy takes place in the streets, not in parliament,” said his friend Liam McMahon. “We cannot allow politicians in this matter,” he concluded.