By Canadian Press

Montreal demonstrators demand climate justice a year after Greta Thunberg speech

Sep 26, 2020 | 12:33 PM

MONTREAL — Demonstrators gathered in downtown Montreal on Saturday to protest planetary warming on the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice.

The coalition behind the event is calling for net zero emissions by 2030, one item on a slate of demands that include Indigenous self-determination, migrant rights and defunding the police.

Lylou Sehili, co-spokeswoman for the Student Coalition for an Environmental and Social Shift (CEVES), says merging divergent social issues in a single movement strengthens their message.

Several hundred activists gathered at Place du Canada at around 1 p.m. to kick off the march, which went east on Sherbrooke Street from the intersection of Peel Street and Rene-Levesque Boulevard.

The vast majority of those attending wore a face covering and organizers say health protocols will be respected.

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Dozens of parents set up an installation showcasing a pile of children’s shoes to symbolize the carbon footprint current generations are leaving for their kids.

The demonstration follows the Liberal government’s throne speech Wednesday, which singled out clean technology and green jobs as cornerstones of an economic rebound.

The event also comes a year after hundreds of thousands put foot to pavement for the Montreal Climate March, featuring teen climate activist Greta Thunberg as the keynote speaker.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2020.

The Canadian Press