Montreal

Greta Thunberg could take part in upcoming Montreal climate change march

A Quebec environmental group is hoping Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg will come to Montreal in September to take part in next month's climate change demonstration.

Organizers says invitation to Swedish climate activist was 'met warmly'

Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate change activist, left Plymouth, England on Wednesday, Aug. 14, bound for New York in a high-tech sailboat. (Ashley Fraser/CBC)

A Quebec environmental group is hoping Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg will come to Montreal to take part in next month's climate change demonstration.

The 16-year-old activist has expressed interest in attending the march set for Sept. 27, said Ben Clarkson, a spokesperson for La Planète s'invite au Parlement, which is organizing the event.

"The invitation was met warmly by Greta's representative," he said.

However, she has not yet accepted. 

Thunberg had praised Montreal on social media for its large-scale turnout in the previous global demonstration back in March.

Tens of thousands of students took part in the Friday for the Future Global Walkout, which was considered to be among the biggest turnouts in the world that day.

Students carrying a banner reading '1.5 to stay alive' march down a street in downtown Montreal.
High school students from across Montreal march down Parc Avenue on March 15 as part of a worldwide day of protest against climate change. The banner, '1.5 to stay alive,' refers to what scientists now believe is the maximum number of degrees the global temperature can rise by the end of this century to avoid the worst impacts. (Louise Gravel/Radio-Canada)

Clarkson said the fact that Montreal is the "best organized climate movement" in Canada may be appealing to Thunberg, who has made headlines around the world by sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in a zero-emissions sailboat.

Thunberg is expected to arrive in New York on Wednesday today after her voyage and will take part in the UN Climate Action Summit in New York in September.