A local rally at the Manitoba Legislative Building Saturday was one of hundreds around the world hoping to draw attention to the issue of climate change ahead of a major summit this week at the United Nations.
A group called Winnipeg Raging Grannies for Social Justice sang from the steps before a crowd of between 300 and 400 people.
“We need to have a hundred percent clean energy by 2050 and that will take all of us,” said Adina Lyon, one of the singers. “It will take all six billion people on earth to do that.”
Erin Keating addressed the crowd and said she will not be silent on climate change because of what the issue could one day mean for her children.
"When they are asking me in the future what I was doing at this time, when the air and the water and the soil, and people from all around the world are screaming for help, that I can truly look at them in the eyes and say I was doing everything I could to help them,” said Keating.
In Manhattan, hundreds of thousands took to the streets in what was billed as the largest ever single rally on climate change.
World leaders will attend a summit on climate change at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday.
More than 120 heads of state have been invited, including Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
But he will not attend and will send Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq instead.
"It shows that Canada clearly isn't a leader in much on the international stage anymore,” said Zach Fleisher, who attended the Winnipeg rally Saturday. “And it's disappointing as Canadians to not see our Prime Minister taking a lead on this issue."
The rally wrapped up Saturday afternoon with a march down Broadway from the Legislative Building to The Forks.
