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NEWS: The Council joins ‘occupations’ across Canada

Council of Canadians at Occupy Nova Scotia

About 25 Council of Canadians chapters participated in 21 occupations across Canada today.

The Winnipeg Free Press reports, “Hundreds of Manitobans gathered near Portage and Main this afternoon as part of Occupy Winnipeg, one of a number of Canadian protests organized in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement. …The crowd gathered in the square in front of 201 Portage Ave., formerly Canwest Place, under sunny skies following a march from the Legislative Building. Supporters held up cardboard placards and peacefully listened to speeches. …Earlier in the day, organizer Trevor Semotok rallied the crowd by telling them the event has no single leader and no single issue. Everyone has a voice and shares an equal responsibility to safeguard democratic freedoms, said Semotok, from the Council of Canadians.”

AM 1150 reports, “The Occupy Kelowna demonstration brought about 150 people out to Kerry Park on Saturday. …While demonstrators held signs with pointed opinion on a wide variety of issues, for Peter Kerr, a member of the Council of Canadians, the message of the protest is clear. ‘The goal is to make people aware of what’s happening and to change society so that there is less inequity like there is now.’ Kerr was joined by several colleagues. They handed out pamphlets and chanted with some of the speakers who got on a stage that was set up.”

The London Free Press reports, “Members of London’s Council for Canadians (were at a small Occupy London gathering) hoisting a giant octopus they had stitched out of a blue tarp to protest a Canada-European Union trade agreement in the works. The agreement, known as CETA, will threaten our social fabric and local economies, said the protesters. Calling their puppet a CETApus, the council said its eight arms represent eight elements of society under threat.”

The Georgia Straight reports, “Local Council of Canadians activist Harjap Grewal was among protesters on Howe Street, adjacent to the main event on Occupy Vancouver’s kickoff day. ‘I think that this is a beginning, and it’s inspiring to see this many people recognizing what’s happening in the world in terms of corporate greed, and inequity in the world,’ Grewal said. ‘And we’re engaging, and there is a lot for us to learn from each other about many issues, from the system itself, to colonization, to other things that we’re going to talk about in the weeks to come. …The bankers and [Premier] Christy Clark and the governments that support the bankers are on notice,’ Grewal noted.”

Council chairperson Maude Barlow was joined by climate justice campaigner Andrea Harden-Donahue, water campaigner Meera Karunananthan, major gifts officer Helene Bertrand, Ottawa chapter activists, members and me at Occupy Ottawa in Confederation Park across from City Hall. About 500 people joined that gathering. By 6 pm tents were set up in the park as the rain began to fall.

Health care campaigner Adrienne Silnicki reports from Occupy Nova Scotia at Grand Parade Square in Halifax that, “One of the speakers at the gathering here said, ‘I collected my mail this week and I saw a letter from the Council of Canadians. It said, System change, not climate change. I think that’s a good place to start.” She added later in the day that there are about 100 people there this evening and 18 tents set up.

Prairies organizer Scott Harris says about 500 people were out for Occupy Edmonton this afternoon.

And Ontario-Quebec organizer Mark Calzavara writes in his blog, “More than 2,000 people have already taken part in Occupy Bay Street today despite the lousy weather and dozens of tents are now set up in St. James Park.” To read his blog, go to http://canadians.org/blog/?p=11188. Trade campaigner Stuart Trew was there early in the day noting a big crowd was gathering. Media officer Dylan Penner writes, “Leo Broderick and I will be marching over from Canadian Peace Alliance convention at 1 pm, under the banner of ‘Occupy Bay Street, not Afghanistan’. And Board member and Peterborough-Kawarthas chapter activist Roy Brady adds, “Well over a thousand, probably two, in Toronto today. Occupation of St. James Park downtown has been completed. General Assembly would be ending soon.”

More to come.