Macintyre Strudensky

Thousands of Montrealers march for climate activism

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Andrea Caceres, Climate Activism, Macintyre Strudensky, Montreal, Paris Agreement

Over a thousand protesters marched through downtown Montreal on Sept. 27 on a national day of action for climate change. Photo Andrea Caceres

Macintyre Strudensky,
Local Journalism Initiative

Protesters rally for climate action, calling for improved efforts to reduce fossil fuel emissions

Over a thousand protesters gathered at the George-Étienne Cartier monument on Sept. 27 for a national day of action for climate change. The protest, organized by Fridays for Future Canada, was one of many occurring simultaneously across Canada.

The Syndicat des Cols bleus regroupés de Montréal, a labour union group focused on promoting social justice, facilitated the march. A multitude of organizations were also present in solidarity, including the climate organization Coalition québécoise des lacs incompatibles avec l’activité minière and the Québec solidaire political party, with an appearance from its leader, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.

Protesters were loud and lively as they marched down Park Ave. before turning on Sherbrooke St. W., making their way across downtown Montreal towards Place du Canada. Among the crowd, some protestors pounded drums and played instruments while others waved signs with slogans such as “We are not fossil fools,” “Let’s leave the dinosaurs alone” and “Lets burn capitalism, not the planet.”

“The climate is in a disastrous state at the moment,” said Jennifer, a climate activist at the protest who has been granted anonymity. “The Paris Agreement stipulated 1.5 C as the maximum increase for global warming. In 2023, the Earth surpassed warming beyond that point. Unfortunately, the governments of the world have not made the necessary changes to bring that back down again.”

*Protesters at the march sought to advocate for climate awareness and demanded governmental action to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Photo Andrea Caceres*

Frustration, unrest and urgent calls for action were the themes of the protest. Many protestors expressed disdain at what they feel is government inaction towards climate change mitigation efforts.

“It’s important for us because, the more people that resist the status quo, the more changes will occur,” said Mikellena Nettos, a former employee at The Climate Reality Project Canada who attended the march. “Hopefully we can reduce emissions to move towards a greener and more communal future.”

Mehramat Kaye, a volunteer for multiple NGOs and organizations such as Environnement Jeunesse, described her experience in advocating for climate action.

“I’ve started volunteering for NGOs since high school now, so three years. It’s a core value of mine,” Kaye said. “As an optimistic person, I think it’s very important for people to be here today and spread awareness for the cause.”

Jennifer expressed her optimism in seeing so many young faces at the protest.

“I think it’s amazing that so many young people are here today taking a stand,” she said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think my generation has been effective in caring for the environment. We’ve been complacent.”

As a woman in her sixties, she explained that compared to younger generations, she feels much of the older generation are more guilty of supporting banks and other big companies that are titans of the oil industry.

“[My generation has] been siding with three Canadian banks among the strongest supporters of the oil industry in the world,” Jennifer said. “That includes RBC, TD and Scotiabank.”

Ending the march just outside Bonaventure metro and Place du Canada, activists finished with a closing round of drumming to complete the parade through the city.

“I think what people need a lot of the time is the right avenues for action,” Nettos said. “And I think this [march] is a good place to get started.”

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The fight against tuition hikes must continue

Students need to keep fighting against austerity.

Macintyre Strudensky,
Local Journalism Initiative

The provincial government continues to attack anglophone students under the guise of protecting the French language

In October 2023, the provincial government proposed what seems to be a mean-spirited attempt to hinder the admission rates at English universities in Quebec, under the pretense of protecting the French language.

Following the proposed tuition hike for out-of-province and international students looking to study at anglophone universities in Quebec, the response from the student population in Montreal was swift and direct.

The students in Montreal protested this vehemently during the last academic year. However, students must continue to advocate in opposition to this tuition hike in synchronicity with the legal action being taken by Concordia and McGill University. As legal action is a lengthy process, sitting idly by would only serve complacency.

During the Winter 2024 semester, thousands of students from Concordia and McGill took to the streets to protest, conducted boycotts, urged administrative action and made their voices heard.

But consistency is key. We must not take the first implementation of this tuition hike as a sign of defeat. Student protests and activism have proven repeatedly to be effective in matters of social austerity. A notable example are the Maple Spring protests in 2012, which ended with a successful halting of proposed tuition hikes after the next Premier was elected.

Over a decade later, governmental policies targeting university students persist. However, a key difference between the current situation and that of Maple Spring is that this tuition hike is an attack on anglophone, out-of-province and international students.

In looking at the success of Maple Spring, it’s important to note that gradual progression contributed to its effectiveness. It took time, organization and effective communication to rally some 200,000 students to boycott and protest at its peak. Collective action is a marathon, not a sprint.

In the past decade since the Maple Spring, connectivity and means of communication have greatly improved. We, the anglophone student population, must, above all, communicate effectively and coordinate our next move. This can be done through spreading the word on social media, talking with our friends and attending future meetings in solidarity. Our real strength is in numbers.

When looking at the different facets of this issue, it becomes clear how simple this battle truly is. The provincial government and its infamous French rhetoric have once again tread into the infringement of rights territory. There is no evidence to support that discouraging prospective English students from studying in Quebec serves to protect the French language.

The provincial government has even made exceptions to the language law for international companies based in Montreal to not hinder operations. The irony. They are enforcing rules under an ideological rhetoric of apparent dire importance, yet bending said rules once the real-world effects demonstrate nothing but a hindrance.

One of the key attractions of this beautiful city is its diverse culture and wide variety of people with many coming to Quebec to learn the French language and to appreciate its beauty. Because it is, in fact, beautiful.

The austerity, absurdity and foolishness of this rhetoric lie in the notion of protecting a language that is not threatened by anglophone universities. Raising tuition and targeting young intellectuals serves no benefit to society and does absolutely nothing for the preservation of the official language of the province. We must not allow this to continue.

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 1, published September 3, 2024.