Nearly 145,000 people are on strike for climate across Quebec

Nearly 130,000 students and 14,000 workers Quebec Vote for the strike Friday To mobilize against the climate crisis and demand that the government abandon fossil fuels by 2030.

The event is part of the global “Fridays for Future” movement launched by activist Greta Thunberg. She also visited Montreal during the march in 2019 that mobilized about 275,000 people for the climate cause.

This year, the main events will take place near Jean-Mans Park, in Montreal, and at Des Brives Park, in Quebec City, from 1 p.m. Friday. Further mobilizations are also planned in a dozen other cities, including Rimouski, Sherbrooke, Gatineau, Trois-Rivieres and Victoriaville.

At least 51 student unions, 23 labor organizations and hundreds of community organizations will strike for the occasion. This is the largest mobilization since 2019.

drastic changes

The coalition of organizations behind the rallies to be held on Friday, the various political parties in particular, is calling for a commitment to abandon oil and gas by 2030.

“You have to realize that we got there after being inactive for 30 years. This transition, which could have gone smoothly, now has to be done in a radical way,” says François Geoffroy, a spokesperson for the Climate Justice Workers’ group.

We also advocate taxing wealth to reinvest more heavily in the social safety net in order to prevent the transition from increasing social inequalities.

It is the most vulnerable people who are most affected by climate change. One only has to think about the scarcity of food caused by natural phenomena that will lead to an increase in food prices,” explains Amelie Poole, delegate of the Student Association of the Cégep de Saint-Laurent.

reorganization movement

The event organizers do not hide this: the pandemic has had a devastating impact on the fight against climate change in the past two years.

It completely disabled the movement. On the part of the students, the organizers were cut off from their base, while we did not have the possibility of meeting to present the means of mobilization,” emphasizes Mr. Jeffroy.

“But we are recovering and we are even surprised to see the strength and vitality of this recovery this year!” continued.