Ecology Ottawa is leading a march on Parliament Hill on Nov. 29 to show the new federal government the public’s support for bold action to curb climate change.
The event titled “100% Possible: Marching Together for Climate Solutions and Justice,” will begin at city hall at 1 p.m. and finish in front of Centre Block.
“What we’re trying to do is have a celebratory atmosphere where people are coming together in good spirits and in a family-friendly environment to call for action on climate change,” says Graham Saul, executive director of Ecology Ottawa.
Other environmental organizations including Greenpeace, Avaaz and Development in Peace, are also involved in the event, says Saul.
The coalition of groups is coming together under the 100% Possible banner.
Saul says the event was organized for two reasons: First, to send a strong message to the new government; and second, as a send-off for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.
The day of action falls on the eve of the Paris summit, where world leaders will attempt to create a legally binding agreement on climate change.
Saul says the day of action has been in the works since September.
“This is an important time to be heard and be present and visible when it comes to making it clear that this is an area where we hope to see progress. And there’s some good signs so far from the new federal government,” he says.
Representing Canada at the conference will be Ottawa Centre MP, Catherine McKenna, who was recently appointed to cabinet as Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Canada’s climate change initiatives came under criticism in 2011 after the Conservative government chose to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed during his campaign to provide “targeted federal funding” to the provinces to reach their commitments to the environment.
The new federal government has decided not to set a carbon reduction target before consulting with the provinces.
Lauren Gravis, president of the Carleton University branch of the World Wildlife Federation, has organized events on Carleton’s campus to support protecting the environment.
“We fell behind with our last government, but our time is now to show that we can make a 100-per-cent clean economy a real priority,” says Gravis.
“I think that the climate march is important to not only gain the awareness from our political leaders but also to educate Canadians as a whole in knowing that preserving our planet is not something that should be taken lightly,” she says.
Gravis adds, “we can only make significant change if everyone acts as a collective.”
Equiterre, a non-profit organization from Quebec, has been working hard with the organizations involved to spread the word about the event.
“I think that if we can work collaboratively with many organizations then we can create a very nice welcoming committee for our new government in Ottawa,” says Steven Guilbeault, Equiterre’s senior director.
Guilbeault says this isn’t the first time Equiterre has organized a large event like the climate march.
“We were part of a core group of organizations that organized the Earth Day March in 2012 in Montreal where they had 300,000 people in the streets of Montreal. So I wouldn’t say we have it down to a recipe, but we have some experience in doing these events,” he says.
“It’s not a protest,” adds Guilbeault. “We’re going to show our support and the fact that we believe a future where there will be no more fossil fuels is entirely feasible from an economic point of view, technical and technological point of view, from a social point of view.”
Guilbeault says marches are happening in hundreds of cities around the world leading up to the meeting in Paris.
He says it’s hard to guess how many people will show up on the day of the march.
“We’re hoping to have as many people as we can. We’re not putting an objective out there,” says Guilbeault. “The more people there will be, the louder the message.”