Anti-Tory protesters take to Montreal streets

Last Updated: Monday, October 6, 2008 | 11:38 AM ET

CBC News

More than 5,000 people marched through downtown Montreal on Sunday to protest the Conservative party's policies.

The march was organized by a coalition of artists, environmental and social groups, and unions opposed to actions taken by the Conservative minority government.

Tory policies on the arts and culture, the environment, women's rights, First Nations rights, Afghanistan and the economy are a threat to the country, the coalition said.

"I'm ashamed to be a Canadian, to tell you the truth, and I chose this country," said Odette Greeya, a protestor who immigrated to Quebec from France.

People who work in the manufacturing sector haven't been protected enough by Conservative policies and the situation will get worse if they win a majority, warns the Quebec Federation of Labour.

"I think it's going to be real dangerous," said federation president Michel Arsenault. "Dangerous for the workers of this country, for the business community."

Protesters' long list of grievances speaks to a profound malaise with the Tory government, said Claudette Carbonneau, president of the CSN labour federation.

"There has to be a real mess, within a minority government, to draw this kind of protest," she said.

Canadians should vote strategically to block the Conservative party from a majority, said Quebec actor Émmanuel Bilodeau.

The coalition of groups also wanted to draw attention to Omar Khadr, a Canadian being detained in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba on terrorism-related charges.

With files from the Canadian Press

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Canada Votes 2008

Overall Results

Overall Election Results
Party	Elected	Leading	Total	Vote Share (%)
Updated: Nov. 7, 2008, 5:00 PM EST
CON	143	0	143	37.63
LIB	77	0	77	26.24
BQ	49	0	49	9.97
NDP	37	0	37	18.20
IND	2	0	2	0.65
GRN	0	0	0	6.80
OTH	0	0	0	0.51

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Unofficial results were updated at the time shown following judicial recounts in six ridings. For more recent results, visit Elections Canada. The CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites. External links will open in a new window.

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