The extreme cold wind wasn’t going to stop citizens from participating in the third annual Women’s March on Saturday morning in downtown Regina.
Despite a piercing wind chill at around -40°C, a large crowd gathered outside YWCA Regina on McIntyre Street and walked the streets as part of the global movement for human rights and gender equality.
Kaitlyn McNeill, a 13-year-old student who is part of the planning committee for the event, said it’s important for youth to be engaged in this cause.
“I think it’s really cool that people still decide to come out and support women’s rights and equality,” admitted McNeill. “They don’t really care how cold it is, they just want to support it.”
Traffic on Victoria Avenue was blocked off for a short while as around 150 people walked with signs, flags and determination to shine a light on gender inequality around the world.
For Kaitlyn, she said her role as part of the youth community is to help make a difference for the advancement of women.
“We’re going forward in this world, so I get to make a difference so that my future children won’t have to go through this and I won’t have to go through stuff people are going through today,” added McNeill.
She said she’s representing all the women who have been affected by violence.
“We know Saskatchewan has the highest rates of domestic violence and intimate violence, and we also know it’s a real factor in Saskatchewan with missing and murdered indigenous women and girls,” she stated.
“It hits home. We know it’s in our backyard and it’s up to us to do something about it.”
Following the conclusion of the event, participants gathered inside the YWCA to warm up with hot chocolate.
The first Women’s March took place on January 21, 2017 in Washington D.C. There were 673 marches that occurred around world that day, including 29 in Canada.