Quebec mothers demand climate justice at premier's Montreal office for 20th week
For the twentieth consecutive Sunday, members of the Mothers Step In (Mères au front) collective will gather outside Premier Francois Legault's Montreal office to demand that the government "respond to climate justice."
Andréanne Grimard is one of the mothers and grandmothers who have been demonstrating with their children every Sunday since April 4.
To ensure that the premier and his entourage take note of their presence, she explained that the children who accompany their mothers draw and write messages in chalk each week on the pavement in front of the Sherbrooke St. building.
"We want concrete action for the environment" was one message on the sidewalk, accompanied by a drawing of the sun and the names of several children.
"On Monday, when the premier's staff from the executive council come to the office, they see the signs. They see that we've been here for another week," said Grimard. "Science tells us that we have eight years to reduce (greenhouse gas) emissions by more than half. I've signed petitions, I've participated in the marches, the annual demonstrations, I'm working on the subject as well.
"But we don't have the luxury of waiting a year for the next demonstration, for the next report, for the next strategy, for the next budget; we really have to start today. We should have started decades ago."
The group is asking the Quebec government "that all decisions be screened for their impact on the environment and intergenerational equity."
DECENTRALIZED QUEBEC GROUP
Sometimes there are only five or six people demonstrating in front of Legault's office, and other times there are as many as 20.
Mothers Step In is a decentralized movement of about thirty groups active in different cities and villages in Quebec that has given itself the mandate to "break the inaction on climate change and protect life on Earth."
In Rouyn-Noranda, for example, Mothers Step In is involved in the Horne Foundry issue.
They have organized demonstrations in the downtown area and recently called a meeting of the Rouyn-Noranda municipal council to pressure Mayor Diane Dallaire and her councillors regarding arsenic emissions from the Horne smelter.
On May 8th, Mother's Day, the Mothers Step In of Quebec organized a demonstration, which brought together thousands of people, according to some media estimates, in front of the National Assembly.
Climate justice' was at the heart of the demonstrators' demands, but they also voiced their opposition to the third link.
The proposed highway tunnel between Quebec City and Levis is, moreover, a subject on which the mothers intend to draw public attention during the provincial election campaign that will begin in a few weeks, Grimard told The Canadian Press.
For the demonstration on Sunday, mothers are expected in Montreal, and the press release of the organization indicates that "colorful activities" are planned, without however specifying the nature.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 14, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.