Photos: March for Science in Ottawa on Earth Day 2017
April 22, 2017- Hundreds of scientists and citizens rallied at Parliament Hill on Earth Day for the March for Science, to show their support for the scientific community. The March for Science is part of a global movement, with over 600 events planned worldwide and 20 of those events taking place in Canada. Evidence for Democracy hosted the Ottawa March for Science. The group held a sign making party on April 12 to prepare.
While he managed to stay under the radar, David Suzuki was in attendance. Suzuki is a Canadian Academic and environmental activist, and it was encouraging to see him in the crowd showing his support. I grew up watching and reading his work, and he is an advocate for science, wildlife and nature.
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The
rally began with a cleanse and speech by Elder Annie Smith St-Georges. She lead with an inspiring speech about our connection to the Earth.
"The March for Science celebrates
our shared passion for science, and showing that science matters not just to
scientists but to all Canadians," Katie Gibbs, Executive Director of
Evidence for Democracy said in a press release. "We know too well the damage that can be done by
an anti-science political agenda, but also know that positive change is
possible when scientists come together with their community."
“Our members stand in solidarity with
our U.S. colleagues in the fight for scientific integrity," Debi Daviau
said in a press release. She is the President of the Professional Institute of
the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), which represents over 15,000 government
scientists. "The enormous cuts to federal government science made by the
previous government are far from restored and should serve as a warning against
the even worse impact of proposed U.S. cuts. Science knows no borders. And
while the world may need more Canada, it also needs more science."
"Science isn't scary; ignorance is scary," she said in her speech today.
James Compton, President of the
Canadian Association of University Teachers, also spoke about the importance of science. Many of the speakers talked about how important it is that people accept the climate science that shows us that the Earth is warming. They spoke of the importance of science in medicine, and how science saves lives.
Another inspiring speaker was Catherine Abreu, Executive Director of
the Climate Action Network. All speakers spoke to the importance of peer reviewed science, and that science should be free of politics. Science shouldn't have an agenda.
Dr. Jeremy Kerr, President of the
Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution and professor at University of
Ottawa, made a passionate address.
Dr. Kristin Baetz, President of the
Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences and professor at the University of
Ottawa gave an impassioned speech about the importance of science, and that research should be protected. The March For Science was inspired by the current and future state of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Trump administration. It is a global action to protect science.
Dr. Kin Chan, American scientist and
Assistant Professor at University of Ottawa, was the last speaker of the day. He was invited to speak about the state of American science and how we got to this point. The rally closed to a positive and energized crowd.
People got witty and creative when it came to their sign making.
The crowd was really diverse, people of all different ages, backgrounds and professions joined the March for Science, one of the largest global actions in history.
These are the best of the photos from the rally. Happy Earth Day!
#EarthDay #ClimateChange
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