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
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.