10 moments from last weekend's Women's Marches across Canada
"These are issues that all Canadians need to be thinking about," says Calgary marcher Carolyn Greene
On Saturday, January 21, over 600 "sister marches" took place around the world in solidarity with the Women's March on Washington. Over 30 solidarity events took place in Canada, with tens of thousands of Canadians taking to the streets.
Here are highlights from 10 stories you might have missed about our country-wide demonstrations.
Sandy Cove, N.S.: "We really weren't expecting any kind of turnout."
While the biggest gatherings dominated the headlines, gatherings also took place in smaller towns like Sandy Cove, N.S. The roughly 15-woman person march actually punched above its weight per capita, considering the Nova Scotian village is home to only about 65 year-round residents.
"It just felt like one of those moments in history that you couldn't stand by and passively observe," said Gwen Quigley Wilson, who walked along the only road that runs through Sandy Cove with her contingent.
Halifax: "I felt it was my duty to come here today"
Wendy MacAskill of Sackville, N.S., was among roughly 1,000 Maritimers who rallied in support of the Washington march at the Grand Parade in downtown Halifax.
"I came here today because the election had me feeling despondent," she said. "On behalf of the girls and women in my family, I felt it was my duty to come here today — be active and involved and aware."
Toronto: "Make empathy great again."
An estimated 60,000 people participated in the Toronto chapter of the march, which wound through the downtown core and ended up at City Hall. Among them, the woman in the photo above, who held up a sign riffing on President Donald Trump's now-famous campaign slogan.
Hamilton: "We're not going anywhere."
Anna Davey, co-organizer of a Hamilton event that drew at least 1,000 people, said she and others are planning to continue their efforts well beyond the weekend. She said the U.S. election may have renewed momentum, but the concerns raised by the marchers aren't new, particularly for women from minority communities.
Winnipeg: "We have to be loud."
Thousands of people paraded down Portage Avenue in Winnipeg on Saturday for a march in solidarity with the Women's March on Washington. Among them, a trans woman named Cynthia Fortlage who told CBC News that LGBT people are scared of Trump and what his presidency could mean to them.
"We're going to lose the rights we already have," she said. "If we want to protect those we have to mobilize."
"We have to be loud, we have to be proud and we have to get people to understand we are human beings too and we deserve human rights."
Saskatoon: "It's kind of like a second suffrage movement."
In Saskatoon, Stacey Tates told CBC News, "It's sad that we have to deal with something like this again."
"We've gone through a suffrage movement, and it's kind of like a second suffrage movement, but it's historical and it's something that we will be able to tell our children and our grandchildren."
Edmonton: "We are welcoming of men and boys and non-binary folk."
In Edmonton, an organizer named Alison Poste says protestors are resisting much more than the Trump presidency.
"It's more about some of the forces, I suppose, that put him into this position. Where even the most vile language … for a candidate, is not a barrier for him to hold the highest office. And that's a problem."
She also said the event is not based on partisanship or gender.
"Although it is called the Women's March, we are absolutely welcoming of men and boys and non-binary folks, who believe that women's rights are human rights."
Calgary: "These are issues that all Canadians need to be thinking about."
More than 5,000 people gathered in front of Calgary's City Hall on Saturday to march in solidarity — including Carolyn Greene, who said the marches send a message to Canadian politicians too.
"This march represents a whole host of issues, obviously women's rights is important but there are a lot of other things that I think are under threat — facts matter, the attack on science and scientific evidence, these sorts of things we have faced in our own country," she said.
"With the upcoming Conservative leadership race, I think these are issues that all Canadians need to be thinking about."
Vancouver: "I wanted to set an example."
Vancouver marchers walked past the U.S. Consulate General and the Trump Tower in downtown Vancouver, winding up in front of Jack Poole Plaza to hear from several speakers. Organizer estimates put attendance between 10,000 and 15,000.
Lisa Matsuzaki, who attended the event with her four-year-old daughter, said she's marching to set an example. She wants her daughter to know "she has power ... that her voice is important."
Yellowknife and Whitehorse: "We still have a lot of work left to do."
Hundreds of people joined marches in Yellowknife and Whitehorse in a show of support for equality and human rights.
Sarah Murphy, who helped organize the Whitehorse march, said Trump is just part of the picture, adding "this is so much bigger than just one individual.
"The moment that Trump was elected, we've seen hate crimes rise across our country, we've seen people with ideas that other people are somehow less than them suddenly voicing them comfortably — and that's pretty alarming."
Many Canadians crossed the border to support American women on their own soil. Here are some articles telling those stories:
