For Immediate Release, April 15th, 2021 Contact:
Maayan Kreitzman 604 723 9577

Extinction Rebellion Embarks on 4 day walk from Vancouver to Provincial Legislature

Unceded Coast Salish Territories (VANCOUVER, BC) - Tomorrow, on Friday April 16th, members of Extinction Rebellion’s (XR) Vancouver group will embark on a 4 day journey on foot and ferry calling on the provincial government to take urgent action on the current climate and ecological emergency. Titled the “Walk for Mother Earth” the walkers will begin at Burrard Landing in downtown Vancouver at 9:00 AM. It will end at the BC legislature on April 19th, where they plan to nail their proposed “Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill” to the legislature doors. The walk will proceed through the unceded lands of many Coast Salish Nations including the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Tsleil-Waututh, Tsawwassen, W̱SIḴEM (Tseycum), BOḰEĆEN (Pauquachin), W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip), SȾÁUTW̱ (Tsawout), and SXIMEȽEȽ (Esquimalt).

“Government after government is still operating as if there’s no future to consider.” said Quetzo Herejk, a clinical counselor participating in the walk. “The message of my footsteps is for Horgan and Trudeau to know that many of us are paying attention to the continued erosion of Indigenous rights, our democracies, and their derision for the web of life that actually sustains us! From a psychological point of view, they are gas-lighting the masses, denying the truths about our fate, being two-faced…all of this is shockingly bad behavior, not to mention delusional. In the face of such a failing system, I’m just one person standing up to say ‘This will be the death of us, you have the power to do better right now, please do!’”

The protest comes on the heels of three years of the Horgan government’s environmental policies: the approval and construction of the Site C dam despite environmental and geotechnical problems [1]; failure to effectively oppose the Trans Mountain Expansion Pipeline [2]; failure to enact endangered species legislation for BC [3]; increases in subsidies for fracked gas [4]; and failure to implement the old growth strategic review panel’s recommendations [5].

“I’m walking to the legislature because our government is leading us on a death march and I refuse to go down in silence. I’m walking to demand change,” said Brent Eichler president of Unifor local 950. “Governments have failed to act in the public’s best interest, to ensure a liveable planet for the coming generations. They continue business as usual as our planet dies of a thousand harms caused by short sighted decision-making, corporate influence, and denial of scientific data. We have to force governments to allow Citizens Assemblies to steer us out of this crisis. It is our sacred duty to protect what remains of life on earth.”

Extinction Rebellion Vancouver is planning a week of disruptive action starting May 1st in Vancouver, where they plan to block streets and bridges. A coalition of XR Vancouver members, activists, allies, and concerned citizens will occupy the space for as long as possible, and plan to camp on the streets of downtown for the duration of the 5 day spring campaign.

### [1] https://thenarwhal.ca/site-c-dam-timeline/ [2] https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/ndp-out-of-tools-to-stop-tmx [3] https://thenarwhal.ca/b-c-stalls-on-promise-to-enact-endangered-species-law/ [4]https://www.stand.earth/latest/Canada-climate-energy/lng-and-fracking-bc/taxpayer-cash-oil-and-gas-horgan-government [5]https://decafnation.net/2021/03/31/bc-forest-march-tell-premier-horgan-to-implement-old-growth-review-panel-advice/

About Extinction Rebellion:

Extinction Rebellion (XR) is an international grassroots movement that uses nonviolent direct action to mobilize the public to drive systemic change in the face of the climate and ecological crisis. Extinction Rebellion believes it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with criminal inactivity by their Government. XR Vancouver’s four demands are:

JUST TRANSFORMATION - Government must respond to the climate and ecological crisis with a just transformation that is actively decolonial, prioritizing the livelihoods of workers and the rights of those most oppressed by the present system, including our non-human relations.

TELL THE TRUTH - Government must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.

ACT NOW - Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.

BEYOND POLITICS - Government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice.

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