Why Québec made history on Earth Day

On Earth Day, April 22^nd, I and my colleague Caroline joined more than 200,000 people in the streets of Montreal. The Earth Day march through the city was peaceful and full of proud citizens. The goal behind the march was to come together for the common good – around standing for what transcends our own existence and to think of what we will each leave behind to future generations.

These people came out in droves on a cold, wet Sunday afternoon. Their message was a call for Canada’s leadership on climate change. The march was organized around the disagreement with the Federal Government’s decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol, the global climate change agreement. The march had been planned since the Federal Government’s announcement to make that move last December.

Some have described this march as a surprising, inspiring, and historic event. It was a record number of people for a rally anywhere in Quebec or Canada in history for an environmental cause. It was an incredible experience to be a part of, and a reminder of how many individuals care enough to become involved in a visible ask for deeper action on climate change.

You can find more information about the Earth Day march in Quebec, including a link to the following declaration that over 50,000 people have signed, by visiting 22avril.org.
 
 
We,
Men, women and children with our goodwill
We gather to tell the world that we care
About the rich, generous and delicate land on which we live
We gather in defence of the common good of this country;
 
We come together because we are convinced
That with our collective knowledge and potential
We can adopt a better strategy to enjoy this treasure
The treasure which is our land, our water, and the air we breathe;
 
We gather
Because we believe that the use of our natural resources
Must be in the interest of all the people
And be in harmony with nature
And for the benefit of everyone
And in the interest of future generations;
 
We gather because we believe it is possible
To develop a model for ourselves. A model that is a real source of wealth, enrichment, and pride
A model that is an inspiration to the entire world;
 
We affirm that we support development: When it is sustainable, when it is powered increasingly by renewable energy, when it utilizes green and ecologically-friendly transportation, when it practices fair trade, when it respects natural habitats and sustainable agriculture. We say it is paramount to work towards an economy where prosperity is synonymous with an ecologically conscious quality of life;
 
We gather to denounce this country’s withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol, the degradation of our environment due to oil sands development, the current non-sustainable operating models for mining and forestry , the high-risk exploitation of shale gas, oil, and uranium and the use of nuclear energy in our territory;
 
We refuse to be dispossessed of our wealth and our sources of future progress;
 
And we demand that the Government of Canada participates fully in the Kyoto Protocol, that it intensifies the fight against climate change, and that it ceases all subsidies to oil and gas companies, and from now on, its development policy shall meet the highest economic, ecological and social standards in the world;
 
And we demand that the Government of Québec has a real strategy for the North, and all of its territory, where the development of our natural resources and energy meets with the highest standards, in terms of the sharing of wealth, the respect of environments and peoples, for now and for generations to come;