Canadians have joined anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd. In almost every major Canadian city from Iqaluit to St. John's there were demonstrations calling out police brutality and racial injustice. Many protesters carried signs that read ‘Black Lives Matter.’ For more on the Black Lives Matter movement, visit CBCKidsNews.ca. Otherwise, keep scrolling to see more photos from the demonstrations across Canada. Here, hundreds of protesters gathered in Vancouver’s Jack Poole Plaza on June 5. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Anti-racism protests have drawn big crowds. Some voiced concern over the lack of physical distancing at these demonstrations. At this Calgary protest, organizers provided masks, hand sanitizer and marked Xs on the ground to remind people to keep their distance during COVID-19 restrictions. (Terri Trembath/CBC)
Many of the protests have drawn attention to the use of force by police in Canada, too. In Regina, Police Chief Evan Bray took a knee in solidarity with the protesters, as hundreds gathered outside the legislature on June 5. He addressed the crowd and George Floyd’s death saying, ‘I feel the need to say sorry, because I am sorry that that happened — that tragic, senseless, killing happened.’ (Bryan Eneas/CBC)
In Winnipeg, thousands of protesters gathered at the Manitoba Legislature to show their support. Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman encouraged politicians to attend. ‘I think it's incredibly important for elected officials to be there to listen and hear what's being communicated,’ he said in a news conference. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)
In Toronto, thousands of protesters shut down one of the busiest streets in the city, Front Street. Here, a protester holds up a sign that says ‘Justice 4 Regis’ highlighting the recent death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a 29-year-old, Afro-Indigenous woman who died after an encounter with Toronto Police. Her death is currently being investigated. (Nathan Denette/ The Canadian Press)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took part in the rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 5. He joined protesters in kneeling for eight minutes and 46 seconds — which is how long a Minneapolis police officer held his knee on the neck of George Floyd before he died. However, some are criticizing Trudeau’s lack of response to police violence in Canada. Kiké Roach, a lawyer and social justice activist called Trudeau kneeling ‘a hollow gesture.’ (Blair Gable/Reuters)
Also in the nation’s capital, Ottawa, protesters chanted ‘I can’t breathe,’ and held up signs. As a Minneapolis police officer knelt on George Floyd’s neck during his arrest, Floyd repeatedly said ‘I can’t breathe.’ His final words have been used by protesters to highlight their message. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
In Thunder Bay, one Indigenous protester and former Aboriginal Liaison, Ann Magiskan, drew connections between colonialism and racism. ‘Indigenous people across Canada have been fighting a battle for people to understand who we are and understand our history in Canada,’ she said. ‘This has been done in numerous different ways and that conversation can’t stop happening.’ (Jeff Walters/CBC)
On June 7, thousands of protesters in Montreal weaved through city streets, calling for an end to systematic racism. Days prior, Quebec Premier François Legault was repeatedly asked if he believed racism was a problem in his province. He replied that while a small number of Québecers were racist, there was ‘no system in place that discriminates.’ (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)
More than 350 people marched through Moncton, N.B., to show their support on June 1. Nellys Kalgora, a Grade 12 high school student in Moncton was a main organizer of the march. She thanked the crowd saying, ‘I needed your voices, with my small voice no one would have heard me.’ Some in Moncton were fearful that the protests would turn violent. They didn’t. (Guy LeBlanc/Radio-Canada)
Hundreds of people gathered outside Halifax city hall on June 5 for a Black Lives Matter vigil. ‘I hope that everyone showing up across Canada and the world will be left with some fire to do stuff extra after these protests stop,’ one attendee said. (Shaina Luck/CBC)
In Charlottetown, P.E.I., demonstrators were encouraged by the Black Cultural Society of P.E.I. to dress in black in a gesture of solidarity. The crowd of thousands gathered in Rochford Square for a moment of silence. One protest organizer began by speaking to the Island's Black community, ‘Rise up. Put your head high and stand tall because we deserve better,’ she said. (Cody MacKay/CBC)
Outside of the Confederation Building in St. John's, N.L., on June 6, protesters knelt to the ground with their fists in the air to honour the death of George Floyd. Precious Familusi, co-founder of Black Lives Matter NL and one of the organizers of the rally, said ‘we're not saying that Black Lives Matter is more important than the other lives...all we want is equality.’ (Meg Roberts/CBC)
Hundreds of demonstrators marched in Whitehorse on June 6 to protest anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. Marchers blocked traffic in the downtown area and walked from the totem on the city's waterfront to the RCMP detachment, where they called out the names of Indigenous people who died in RCMP custody. Protesters also marched to the CBC Whitehorse building and called for better representation of racialized communities in the media. (Chris Windeyer/CBC)
In Fort Smith, N.W.T., community members and local leaders attended an anti-racism rally on June 6. Approximately 60 people attended — they brought signs that described racism as a pandemic and were encouraged as passing cars honked their horns in support. One of the rally’s organizers Lesley Paulette said, ‘it was important for people as a community to ... acknowledge what's happening and recognize that it is relevant even in a small community in the far North.’ (Pierre-Emmanuel Chaillon)
There were several protests in Nunavut over the weekend, as well. In Iqaluit, protesters called upon Nunavut leaders to take action against racism in the territory, while showing solidarity with Black Lives Matter protesters. The theme of the protest was ‘injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere,’ a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. Here, young people in Arviat, Nunavut, show their support with a handmade sign that reads: ‘I am not black, but I see you, I hear you, I mourn with you. I am not black, but I will fight for you.’ (Submitted by Char Qaritaq)
