Montreal | Coalition demonstrates for the environment in front of Legault’s offices

A few dozen people gathered Sunday in front of François Legault’s office in Montreal to ask governments to do more for the climate.

The Ashes in the Street coalition joined Mothers at the Front, which holds a sit-in at the same location every Sunday, to organize the demonstration.

Shirley Barnea, a spokesperson for Pour le futur Montréal, a member group of the coalition, said the sit-in was a “forest fire special” in support of those affected by the forest fires in Canada, particularly in Jasper.

“We talk about forest fires as if they were just natural disasters. […] But we don’t talk about the fact that it’s not natural, said M.^me Barnea: Forest fires are getting worse and worse and it’s because of the climate crisis.

M^me Barnea adds that “when it happens again, we don’t want to just be spectators.”

Around 11:30 a.m., after brief speeches by members of the groups, the crowd moved onto the asphalt of Sherbrooke Street, chanting “Whose street, ours the street.” Traffic was temporarily blocked in the eastbound direction.

The demonstrators, under the beating sun, listened to the People’s Choir, a committed group that sang activist songs, and a short theatrical performance by Puppets for the Planet.

The choir of around ten people sang to the tune of the song Hello Bellathe lyrics: “To solve them, all together, we must act quickly, quickly, quickly”, referring to climate change.

Several activists in the crowd were also chanting. The protesters dispersed peacefully shortly after 12:30 p.m.

Alice Rivera, who describes herself as a “sympathizer of the movement,” was there to encourage the coalition.

“It’s worth taking time out of my Sunday to come and support the cause.”

M^me Rivera wants to implement an “ambitious policy” that is part of a model where the government would listen more to scientists.

“To believe that we can find answers alone in a cabinet with a government that may not even have the expertise to understand the problem and respond to it is a recipe for failure,” she said. “We need to make climate change a national priority.”

Marie-Andrée Foucreault-Therrien, a mother on the front lines in the Eastern Townships who was there, is mobilizing for future generations. “We are all united […] to come and tell the government to wake up,” she said simply.

The requests

The coalition is calling for an end to subsidies to the oil industry, a plan to reduce fossil fuel consumption, and for Canada to join a “Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.” The treaty, which would prevent any new fossil fuel production, has been supported by a few countries, including Colombia, Nauru and Samoa.

Ratifying the treaty “is like common sense for us,” said Shirley Barnea.

Although the sit-in took place in front of the provincial premier’s office, the coalition was primarily addressing the federal government, Mr.^me Barnea.

She said the federal government is not prepared enough to fight wildfires, and the current state of the town of Jasper is proof of that. A third of the town was ravaged by wildfires last week.

Last Generation Canada, another group that is part of the coalition, is also calling for the creation of a federal firefighting agency that would employ 50,000 firefighters to fight forest fires.

“They act like it’s just a one-off. But it’s an urgent crisis,” Mr.^me Barnea.

The coalition includes the groups For the Future Montreal, The Planet Invites Itself to Parliament, Popular Ecology, The Living Defends Itself and Last Generation Canada.

The latter group made headlines in July when members stuck their hands on the ground in front of Montreal-Trudeau International Airport.