{"id":159083,"date":"2025-09-21T11:13:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T11:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/159083\/"},"modified":"2025-09-21T11:13:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T11:13:08","slug":"protests-across-canada-challenge-aspects-of-carneys-agenda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/159083\/","title":{"rendered":"Protests across Canada challenge aspects of Carney\u2019s agenda"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Protestors take part in a \u2018’Draw the Line’ climate change protest in Toronto, on Saturday.Alex Lupul\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

Canadians in several major cities demonstrated Saturday against elements of the Liberal government\u2019s agenda, including Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s support for new fossil fuel projects and expected public service cuts. <\/p>\n

Hundreds who took part in \u201cDraw the Line\u201d protests in Toronto marched from downtown to the provincial legislature building, carrying signs that included messages advocating full immigration status for all, ending trade with Israel, Indigenous rights and a revolution against billionaires. <\/p>\n

Some signs featured images of Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan in December. <\/p>\n

Speakers prior to the march included environmentalist David Suzuki, Grassy Narrows First Nation member Chrissy Isaacs, and others. <\/p>\n

Dawn Farrell is leading Ottawa\u2019s effort to fast-track projects. Will she do more than clear road blocks?<\/a><\/p>\n

Syed Hussan, executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, accused Carney\u2019s government of \u201cenriching billionaires\u201d while Canada is on \u201cthe brink of a climate collapse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here to say that whether it is climate, or economic justice, whether it\u2019s Palestine or right here at home, we are facing a joint agenda and we will push back against it,\u201d Hussan told the crowd. <\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters, Suzuki criticized Carney\u2019s focus on creating jobs over addressing the climate crisis. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s putting the economy above the atmosphere that gives us air to breathe, that gives us weather, climate, and the seasons. That\u2019s crazy,\u201d Suzuki said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIndigenous people tell us all the time the Earth is our mother. She gives birth to us. She nurtures us. She has got to be our highest priority,\u201d Suzuki said, adding that climate change should be a larger priority than creating jobs. <\/p>\n

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The protesters marched to Queen’s Park in Toronto.Alex Lupul\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

The protests, which occurred ahead of the federal government tabling its budget on Nov. 4, also included marches in Ottawa, Edmonton and Montreal. <\/p>\n

Canada has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, but Carney has repealed the consumer carbon price and paused the Liberals\u2019 electric vehicle mandate.<\/p>\n

Currently, Canada\u2019s emissions are about only 8.5 per cent below what they were in 2005, and Carney and his ministers have refused in recent weeks to say whether Canada is still committed to its 2030 and 2035 targets, though the government says it is still focused on hitting net-zero by 2050.<\/p>\n

Carney has said he wants to make Canada \u201cclimate competitive\u201d and has said his climate plan is forthcoming.<\/p>\n

George Westel, who was at the Toronto protest and represented a group called Stop 413 East End Toronto, said everyone in Ontario is at risk of being hurt by the climate crisis. <\/p>\n

\u201cClimate change is affecting migrant workers, it\u2019s affecting Indigenous people,\u201d he said after the group reached Queen\u2019s Park. \u201cThis province is called a place to grow, and we are losing that place to growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Vancouver, hundreds of protesters listened to speeches outside a downtown library before marching several blocks. <\/p>\n

Mark Hancock, national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, told the crowd that many people feel a sense of urgency on issues including skyrocketing housing and food costs. <\/p>\n

\u201cNew Canadians and migrant workers are worried about their future here in this country,\u201d Hancock said. \u201cWe cannot allow this government or anybody to say that migrant workers are the problem. They\u2019re not taking away our housing. They\u2019re not jacking up the cost of living in this country. They\u2019re just trying to make it like you and I and everybody else in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carney said earlier this month that the government plans to return immigration rates to \u201csustainable levels,\u201d which includes reducing the number of non-permanent residents to less than five per cent of the total population.<\/p>\n

He said that adjusting the temporary foreign worker program to target specific sectors and needs in specific regions, as well as improving immigration policies, was tied to easing the strain on housing, public infrastructure and social services.<\/p>\n

Many protesters in B.C. objected to the federal government fast-tracking liquefied natural gas expansion projects in B.C., which Vancouver resident Robert Hornsey said would result in the depletion of groundwater. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe LNG is a boondoggle. What you need to do is invest in renewable energy, wind, air, solar, tidal and thermal,\u201d Hornsey said. \u201cB.C. has a massive geothermal reservoir that it has not used or exploited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another event attendee, Ann Grant, was holding her handmade big pink balloon printed with Carney\u2019s face that read \u201ckilling the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A press release from the event organizers says it opposes the government\u2019s actions around immigration legislation Bill C-2, and Bill C-5, major project legislation.Spencer Colby\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Protestors take part in a \u2018’Draw the Line’ climate change protest in Toronto,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159084,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,49,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,889,890,884,904,885,909,910,44,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,865,61,900,892,886,883,913],"class_list":["post-159083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-alberta","tag-arts-news","tag-bc","tag-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news-video","tag-british-columbia","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canada-news","tag-canada-sports","tag-canada-sports-news","tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","tag-canadian-breaking-news","tag-canadian-news","tag-economy","tag-education","tag-environment","tag-federal-government","tag-foreign-news","tag-globe-and-mail","tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","tag-government","tag-life-news","tag-lifestyle","tag-local-news","tag-manitoba","tag-national-news","tag-new-brunswick","tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","tag-news","tag-northwest-territories","tag-nova-scotia","tag-nunavut","tag-ontario","tag-pei","tag-photos","tag-political-news","tag-political-opinion","tag-politics","tag-politics-news","tag-quebec","tag-sports-news","tag-technology","tag-travel","tag-trudeau","tag-us-news","tag-world-news","tag-yukon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}