Montreal students fight for climate justice

Montreal students came together for ‘Fridays For Future,’ part of the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice, at the foot of Mount Royal. More than 85,000 post-secondary students are on strike across the province, with other demonstrations in Quebec City and Sherbrooke.

“We need to protect this planet for the future generations,” Ryder Côté-Nottaway, Montreal student and a speaker at the event.

In Montreal, the event focused on the Indigenous community’s struggles, with hundreds coming together Friday afternoon.

“We really wanted to focus on decolonial education and uplifting the voices of Indigenous climate activists and land defenders,” explained Sophie Hart, organizer of the Montreal event.

#WATCH: “We really wanted to focus on de-colonial education,” says Sophie Hart, organizer of Montreal event for International Day of climate Justice. The event will feature Indigenous speakers to shed light on the issues their community faces. pic.twitter.com/ArXxynHYSy

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“It’s our Mother Earth. She needs us to make change and that change starts today. Not tomorrow, not next week, today,” said Côté-Nottaway, as he spoke to the crowd.

“In our culture, we always think about the next seven generations. We always ensure that the next seven generations will have the same resources as we do.”

Students from Dawson’s Green Earth Club were also on hand.

“Today is important because we’re centering on Indigenous issues in the climate crisis because they’re really the ones that are being most affected right now in Canada,” said Clara Schoeck.

“It’s time to learn and to be educated and listen to people who haven’t been listened to,” explained Juliana Saroop.

Friday’s strike action went from marching to the base of Mount Royal, to occupying the streets, and then engaging in a teach-in, where participants learn about the issues at hand.

Students occupied Montreal’s Parc Avenue for a few moments on Friday afternoon on the Global Day for Climate Justice. (Credit: CityNews / Alyssia Rubertucci)

“Marching is great because it shows everyone in solidarity with each other. But this is really about symbolically and also literally listening to the stewards of the land who are the Indigenous people,” said Mia Hadley, Dawson student and part of the CEGEP’s Green Earth Club.

Organizers of the event say the message they want to send to industries and the government is: people before profit.

“We need to focus on how our climate justice is for people and the reason why we want to take care of the Earth is to protect the future generations coming,” said Hart. 

“And it’s not just about us, but it’s about who’s going to be here on the Earth after us.”