Canadian Youth Take Nationwide Climate Action Today - They Are #NotGoingBack To A Pre-COVID Normal

-Thousands to protest in cities across Canada demanding that the federal government's recovery plan centres people and the climate-

VANCOUVER, BC and TORONTO and MONTREAL and OTTAWA, ON and CALGARY, AB and SASKATOON, SK and HALIFAX, NS, Sept. 25, 2020 /CNW/ - Today, students, young workers and allies take to the streets from coast-to-coast-to-coast in reaction to the Trudeau Government's betrayal of its promises to protect their future. This aligns with the global day of climate action organized by Fridays For Future and inspired by Greta Thunberg. 

In response to Prime Minister Trudeau's abysmally inadequate Throne Speech, and to set the agenda moving forward, youth across the country will mobilize today to let politicians know that they are #NotGoingBack until they win real economic, racial and climate justice. 

"Five years ago this same prime minister promised to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. This week he's decided to prolong them. We are tired of Trudeau's broken promises." 

We need to take decisive action to tackle COVID-19, but the pandemic is not occurring in isolation of other crises. Emissions have risen under the Liberal government, and nothing in the Throne Speech indicates a shift of trajectory. 

"A year ago Trudeau committed to planting two billion trees. They're nowhere to be seen. This gap between promise and reality is the lens through which young people heard his speech. Moreover, even if his promises were fulfilled, they would remain woefully insufficient. And so we march and shout and protest, because our lives depend on it."

Achieving the 2030 demand – zero emissions in ten years – cannot be ignored – it is the planet's only option.

As a result of the denial of student and youth demands in Wednesday's Throne Speech, details for protests around the country today, as follows:

• Toronto – Bay Street & Wellesley Street West (Media area at the Northwest corner of the intersection) beginning at 12 p.m. ET and running until 3 p.m.;
  
  
• Ottawa – Confederation Park beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET;
  
  
• Vancouver (North Shore) – MP constituency office of the Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (310 Esplanade E #201) beginning at 10:00 a.m. PT to 1 p.m.;
  
  
• Vancouver – MP constituency office of the Hon. Joyce Murray (2112 W Broadway, Vancouver) beginning at 10 a.m. PT to 1 p.m.;
  
  
• Surrey – Holland Park (13428 Old Yale Rd.) march to office of MP Randeep Sarai (10362 King George Blvd #170) beginning at 12:45 p.m. PT with the march;
  
  
• Burnaby – MP constituency office of Terry Beech (3906 Hastings St, Burnaby, BC, V5C 6C1) and a mural on Ingleton Ave beginning at 10 a.m. PT to 12:45 p.m.;
  
  
• Halifax – Halifax City Hall (Grand Parade) beginning at 12 p.m. AT;
  
  
• Calgary – Calgary City Hall (South Side) beginning at 12 p.m. CT with a march to McDougall Centre, event concludes at 3 p.m.;
  
  
• Saskatoon – 222 3rd Ave. N, beginning at 1 p.m. local time;
  
  
• Assomption – 831 blvd. De l'Ange Gardien Nord beginning at 4 p.m. ET;
  
  
• Sherbrooke – Hotel de Ville de Sherbrooke beginning at 5pm. ET;
  
  
• Tremblant – École secondaire Curé-Mercure beginning at p.m. ET;
  
  
• Nelson - Lakeside Park beginning at 12pm PT;

NOTE THAT MONTREAL PROTEST TO TAKE PLACE 1 DAY LATER ON 26 SEPTEMBER

• Montreal – Place du Canada beginning at 1 p.m. ET;

For more information on this grassroots nationwide action, click: https://wearenotgoingback.ca/ 

These actions initiated by grassroots youth organizers from:

Climate Strike Canada:https://climatestrikecanada.org/ 
Our Time:https://our-time.ca/ 

SOURCE Climate Strike Canada

Media contacts: Louis Ramirez, [phone], [email protected]; Noah Zatzman, [phone], [email protected]