People gathered in Montreal from all across Quebec, including those who had started marching toward this city on October 9. Many were organized by women's rights organizations and women's centers. There were contingents from the Quebec Federation of Labor, Confederation of National Trade Unions, Quebec Trade Union Central, Quebec Federation of Nurses, and the Farmers Union.

A popular chant was "So, so, solidarité avec les femmes du monde entier" (Solidarity with women of the entire world).

La Presse, a major French-language daily here, ran an editorial column criticizing the marchers. Justifying the government's refusal to consider many of the demands of the demonstration, it dismissed them as a "long shopping list" that didn't take into account present-day economic "reality."

In response to the demand to raise the minimum wage to $8.70 an hour, the Quebec government announced it would raise it by 10 cents--from $6.90 to $7.00. Jean Charest, leader of the opposition Quebec Liberal Party, declared his opposition to even this measly increase, saying that it if is enacted, businesses in Quebec would not be competitive with those in other states.

The Quebec Federation of Women described this move as "a slap in the face," and called for a large turnout at the October actions. Some of the marchers taped dimes to their cheeks to express their disgust with the government's proposal.

One of the liveliest contingents came in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for self-determination and against the Israeli regime's military repression. Rawda Harb, who helped carry a huge Palestinian flag, said she was marching because "I'm a Palestinian woman and I'm in solidarity with the women of Quebec. I also want to tell them about the struggle of Palestinian women and the fact that there is a massacre taking place."

Around 15,000 more Quebec supporters of the fight for women's equality crossed the bridge from Hull to join the march in Ottawa, to be greeted by shouts of "Bonjour" and "Bienvenue."

When march organizers in Ottawa announced from the stage that the crowd had swelled to 50,000, making it the largest march for women's rights in the country's history, chants of "So, so, so, solidarité" rang out across the huge square.

As participants stepped off from the hundreds of buses that rolled into Ottawa and marched up parliament hill, they chanted, "Not the church, not the state--Women will control their fate." Some of the largest union contingents on the march included United Steelworkers of America members, who wore bright orange T-shirts marked with "World March of Women 2000."

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) contingent carried huge balloons with "Up with women's wages" printed on them. CUPE members dressed up a van to look like an ambulance. With an emergency siren blaring they protested government cuts to health care. Elementary Teachers Federation members wore red T-shirts and carried banners protesting reductions in government spending on education.

Lisa Hari, the march coordinator for the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), reported that 20,000 people had come on buses. While the majority were full of union members, they also included buses organized by women's rape crisis centers, abortion clinic staffers, and others. The CLC paid for six of the eight buses organized by the World March of Women Coalition from Toronto.

Upwards of 250 came from New Brunswick, protesting the low minimum wage in that province. Banners from women's groups from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Quebec, and Ontario covered parliament hill. Contingents from British Columbia, Saskatch-ewan, and Alberta also attended.

Many had traveled long distances to attend. A busload of women from the Canadian Autoworkers union at the Bombardier plant in Thunder Bay, Ontario, traveled 18 hours. This reporter and other members of the Toronto coalition traveled in an eight-bus convoy. As the union buses passed us on the highway they honked in solidarity.

Hundreds of university and college students marched in a Canadian Federation of Students contingent with signs that said, "Education is a right."
 
 
Related articles:
Women's rights supporters march in D.C.