Women have come a long way when it comes to fighting for their rights and equity. It only warms my heart to see women supporting each other and getting stronger. This weekend’s women’s march in Toronto was a big example. This weekend consisted of freezing temperatures, but that did not stop the women of Toronto for marching in the name of equal rights and feminism. This march originally launched in 2017 in Washington DC, following the inauguration of Donald Trump. The issues that were emphasized upon for the march included women’s rights, justice for victims of sexual harassment, gender equality, reproductive rights, immigration, LGBTQ rights, Indigenous rights, racial equality, equal pay, the environment and more.
Photo via Now Toronto
In addition to the themes mentioned for the march, this year the themes also included the #MeToo movement, Doug Ford’s government, climate change, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and gender identity. The speakers for this year were Farrah Khan, equity and gender-based violence expert, Sandy Hudson, Black Lives Matter Activist and last but not least, Raynne Fisher-Quann, Ontario-sex-ed activist.
Photo via Now Toronto
Thousands across the cities took part in the third annual international march on the 19th of January in order to advocate for women’s rights and gender equality. This year’s theme was particularly on ending domestic violence for women.
Cities in Canada that held the march include Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Regina. The participants prepared for the march by bringing homemade signs. Some showed protest against government policies, while some showed words of encouragement and support.
Picture by Tamara Tarasoff
The march held some great speakers and powerful messages were displayed through everyone’s personalized posters all across venues. The work and vision that the women’s march thrives on is put together in a combined framework that is called H.E.R and it stands for health, economic security, representation and safety.
If you missed out on this year’s women’s march, you can always join in for the next march! Check out the main website for Canada’s women’s march in order to read in depth about their vision and mission framework. You can also stay updated about the time and location for future marches in Canada.
It is completely free and you may sign up through www.chatterblock.com in order to help them gain an approximate count of how many people they could be expecting at the march. I believe it will be a very rewarding and satisfying experience to join thousands of other people in reuniting and supporting a great movement that will open more doors and opportunities for women.
“Inspiring, uniting and leading the charge for the advancement of women across Canada”
– Women’s March Canada.