'We have no choice': Protesters demand climate action at Parliament Hill rally

More than 150 people rallied and protested on Parliament Hill Saturday afternoon, calling for Canada's governments to take action to protect the environment and address climate change. 

Rallies were also held in Montreal and Sherbrooke, Que., which organizer Camille Goulet said should send a strong signal to the country's political parties.

"It's going to be my first time voting next year, and I want to send a message that I will vote for a government that will put our environment first," said the 17-year-old, who lives in Gatineau.  

"We have no choice. It's our planet, it's our home and we have to do something now or we will lose it."

Young voters care

Justin Meunier Mandar, who was at Saturday's rally, said he believes political parties will need to embrace environmental principles if they want young people to cast ballots for them.

"If you want my vote in the 2019 federal election, the vote of the youth — because a lot of people I know that care about the environment are young — you better be about sustainable development," said the 22-year-old.

"I understand why this hasn't been our priority for economic reasons [since] job creation is important for a thriving, multi-cultural population. But what good is employment if we don't have a habitable planet?"

People at the rally called for governments to stop investing in non-renewable energy resources and concentrate on supporting clean energy. 

"This is a climatic emergency. We really have to change the way we live in our society … Being ecological is the smart and sustainable choice," said Anna Morineau, another organizer of Saturday's rally.

Morineau, a student at Cégep de l'Outaouais in Gatineau, said they're trying to send the federal government a message as the next election is one year away. 

"Europe is so forward compared to Canada," she said. "Students, [they] have kind of this anxiety toward climate change … they don't want their children to live in the world where there's going to be a bad life quality."

Morineau is also encouraging other people to take action by organizing meetups or by asking local businesses to stop using straws and other single-use plastics.