Greens at Draw the Line
Last week, two of us from the Don Valley West Greens travelled to Sankofa Square at Yonge and Dundas to meet with thousands of other protesters for Draw the Line, joining people in over 85 countries calling for change worldwide. For life, for people, for the planet.
An at the Draw the Line march in Toronto.
We were going there to meet other Green Party volunteers, but with so many people turning out, we had a hard time finding them for a few minutes. Around us, protesters’ signs indicated they were marching for climate action, Indigenous rights, justice for Palestine, migrants’ rights, transgender rights, proportional representation, and more. We even got to ask David Suzuki for a handshake (and received a fistbump instead!) as he was there marching with Seniors for Climate Action Now.
More protesters at the march. So many signs!
To some passersby, the march might have looked like a random assortment of different causes. But, if you were marching with the group, it all made sense. Each person might have turned out for a different specific reason, but all these causes are deeply connected and things that we have the power to change. And if we want to have a chance of changing them, we need to do so all together. If we want a better city, province, country, and world, it’s going to take all of us.
As we marched to Queen’s Park, I started to hear from others around me that it appeared our route was blocked by the Toronto Police, perhaps due to the new “bubble zone” by-law that the City passed in May, which has been criticized highly for obstructing people’s right to protest.
Protesters and police at an intersection downtown.
Nevertheless, the march eventually made it to Queen’s Park, where our small but mighty group of Greens met up with Green MP Mike Schreiner.
There were speeches at Queen’s Park, but from our distance and with so many people around, it was hard for me to hear. Instead, I kept looking around at all the different people who were there. Young and old, from all different walks of life. Some had come with organizations in groups much bigger than ours, and others had clearly come alone or with a friend. Although signs were for different causes, everyone I saw was supportive of one another. People gave approving nods and joined in chants led by other groups.
It was a day of unity and solidarity. By the time I left, I felt a real sense of togetherness and motivation to do more. And maybe that’s what this is all for. We took a stand and made our voices heard, but most of all, we saw just how many of us there are and how much power we could all have together. What could we all accomplish if each of us took one action this week to do more? What if you did?
Protester whose favourite economic system may not be capitalism.
You could volunteer to join us for next time.
Or donate to help us do what we do. Every bit helps us be more prepared for the next election.
Or even just sign one of our petitions. They show the government what people want and help us make change happen, regardless of which political party is in power.
There’s a path to change, and on September 20th, we walked it together. Let’s keep that momentum.
You can see more photos from the event in Toronto and events held all across the country on Flickr.