MONTREAL - Protesters have assembled in downtown Montreal to express opposition to the expansion of oil and fossil fuels in Canada.
The activists gathered outside the Hilton Hotel near Mansfield and de la Gauchetiere at 8:00 a.m. for the fourth annual conference of the Quebec Oil and Gas Association (APGQ).
The conference is being attended by groups involved in fossil fuel projects from Quebec, the Maritimes and Alberta.
The protesters included representatives from the Association to Fight Against Pollution (AQLPA), Équiterre, the David Suzuki Foundation and Greenpeace.
A similar protest is taking place outside the provincial legislature in Victoria, British Colombia, where 1,000 demonstrators have been voicing their opposition to oil sands projects as well as the proposed Northern Gateway and supertankers.
The Montreal conference kicked off Sunday and wraps up Tuesday. Former Premier Lucien Bouchard is the current president of the APGQ.
