Hundreds attend march for women’s rights in Vancouver

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) –With issues like racial and gender inequality top of mind, hundreds of activists took to the streets of downtown Vancouver for the third annual Women’s March.

Vancouver’s march is part of a larger movement called March On Canada, with multiple cities taking part in marches around the country in support of the Women’s March in Washington D.C. Last year, more than 5 million people globally participated in the annual march.

Samantha Monckton, an organizer with March On Vancouver, says it’s an event that is needed now more than ever.

She says while political tension remains high in the states, Canada has a number of issues that need to be addressed: “Issues that are going to come up in the election, ones that galvanized around anti-Semitism that’s rising, racism, and women’s rights. We can’t ignore these things,” she says.

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Monckton also says it’s important to gather and rally when it comes to addressing inequality facing women, especially about issues that affect people in this city and this country.

“These marches are important because people have to galvanize together and be together in one space, to know that other people care about the issues that they care about as well,” she says. “We can do a lot on social media, but there’s nothing like being face-to-face with people who feel the same way.”

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The theme of this year’s march, about ending violence against women and ‘justice for all,’ the organizers hope resonates with many. In particular, they are focusing on justice for women who have disabilities and women of colour – particularly Indigenous women.

“We feel like laws effect everybody, obviously, and some of them need to change,” she says.

Vancouver’s 2019 march started at the Vancouver Art Gallery and headed down to the law Courts near Howe Street.

– With files from Tom Walsh