Indigenous communities from across the country and around the world braved the bitter cold alongside several hundred demonstrators on Saturday afternoon in Montreal to demand concrete actions to protect the environment, on the sidelines of the 15th United Nations conference. on biodiversity (COP15).
The demonstrators first gathered in a festive atmosphere at the foot of Mount Royal around 1 p.m. In the crowd of all ages, some demonstrators were dressed as colorful birds, while many others held up posters recalling that many animal species are in danger, or denouncing the construction of oil pipelines and the destruction of green spaces in the country. .
Several elected officials were present, including the mayoress of Montreal, Valérie Plante, and the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, while several environmental organizations and trade unions waved their logos in the air in anticipation of this “Great march for the living », organized by the Collectif de la société civile québécoise for COP15.
Around 1:30 p.m., Aboriginal delegations from various Canadian regions and elsewhere in the world arrived to the applause of the crowd, before leading the march towards the city’s downtown core. “Our lands are not real estate,” read a poster held up in the front rows of the protest. “No pride in the genocide,” hammered another.
Some Aboriginal demonstrators have also crossed the country from west to east from British Columbia to take part in this colorful march. This is particularly the case of Willo Prince, of the Nak’azdii Whut’en Nation, who was carrying a large wooden fish with a friend as a reminder that salmon populations were in decline in the country when The duty passed him in the cheering crowd.
“You see how they discuss our lives in this really detached, alienating way, in places like COP15. We are here to disrupt this colonialist agenda”, launched the To have to the young man, who deplores the fact that Aboriginal people are not consulted more on political decisions surrounding the protection of biodiversity. “We want to tell the truth about what is happening and get international attention because we have seen it many times that they do not care about us,” he added, referring to the leaders. politicians, as thousands of delegates gathered at the Palais des Congrès as part of COP15 continue their discussions on Saturday.
“These are our lives, but also the lives of our children and their children afterwards. We fight for them, ”added Willo Prince, with a frank look and a soft voice. “The territory is being stripped on all sides and what we want is conservation of the territory”, also opines the director of the natural resources department of the Conseil de la Nation Anishnabe du Lac Simon, Ronald Brazeau, who believes also that Aboriginal peoples must take a greater part in discussions concerning the protection of fauna and flora, particularly in Quebec.
“The economy always comes before the protection of the environment and biodiversity. This is what is really frustrating for the Aboriginal communities,” continues Mr. Brazeau, who particularly deplores the lack of protected natural environments in the south of the province, unlike the north of it. An issue that the Montreal Metropolitan Community, which represents 82 municipalities, also promised to tackle on Saturday by committing to protect 30% of its territory by 2030.
“There is no question of you failing”
A little further in the crowd, The duty passes Denise Bosak, who traveled from Wisconsin, United States, to take part in this demonstration, a sign in hand against Line 5 of the Calgarian company Enbridge, a cross-border pipeline which concerns many indigenous communities because of risks of oil spills in the Great Lakes.
“I hope that with all this representation [des communautés autochtones dans cette marche]we are going to be more interested in the measures that we can take to protect our planet instead of focusing on economic development”, said Ms. Bosak in an interview.
For Anne-Céline Guyon, who is project manager for Nature Québec and member of the COP15 collective, this march also aims to send a clear message to the delegations gathered at the Palais des Congrès to negotiate the next Global Biodiversity Framework, an agreement which should include ambitious targets to halt its decline. “There is no question that you fail,” launched Ms. Guyon Saturday for them.
Because, otherwise, it is the next generations who will suffer, apprehends Marie-Hélène Felt, who is a member of Mothers at the front. “What we want is to preserve a healthy land with lots of biodiversity for our children. It is immoral to destroy everything for profit. What are we leaving for our children? asks the one who traveled from Quebec to take part in this march. “We are not going to let the house burn down without doing anything. »
The march ended shortly before 3 p.m. with a series of speeches held on the floor of the Quartier des spectacles.