Canada is going down the wrong road on the environment, or so said a lengthy line of protesters who expressed their concerns in a major march in Quebec City Saturday.
The marchers urged Canada to embrace renewable energy and shed its dependence on oil.
"We need to keep tar sands in the ground," Mike Hudema of Greenpeace who said that there might be some cause for optimism. "We're expecting an announcement tomorrow about a cap and trade system between Ontario and Quebec, that's a good first step," he said.
Hudema noted that some countries are producing all of their electricity through renewable means. "It's time that Canada got its act together to do it too."
Marc Nantel of the CSQ union expressed similar concerns. "We're here to say that we have to sit down and plan our future, oil and gas is not our future. Renewable energy is where we should go," he said.
The march, which ended at the National Assembly was just part of a day of activities that includes concerts and other rallies. But the demonstrators wore their heart on their sleeves as they laid rubber to road with placards held high.
Russ Letica of the Madawaska Maliseet First Nations said that he wants government to step up. "I ask them to start listening to the people,l you are elected to your people, we are a majority and we're telling you, no more pipelines and no more dirty energy, that's the message."
"There are no jobs on a dead planet and that's what we're walking towards," he said.
Merv King of the Timiskaming First Nations said that he wants government to, "stop the pipelines, the tar sands and restore the land the way it was before they got there."
Margot Sheppard from New Brunswick said that she was motivated to come because fo what she says is a "crisis." She said her message is to "tell government that the people want change and strong leadership on climate."
