The second annual women’s march in Saskatoon brought roughly 400 people together at River Landing on Saturday morning.
“Today we’re still seeing a lot areas, where women and people who identify as women aren’t seen as equals,” participant Kirsten Samson said.
“I think it’s really important that we’re here for women, trans women, women of colour, Indigenous women, all kinds of women.”
Samson, along with her friend Kylie Phillips, attended the march. They are both third-year political studies students and said they want to see more women in leadership positions.
“As a student on a university campus, you experience and see a lot of people who experience sexual assault. It’s important to come out and talk about those things and make sure people are aware and to get that discourse going in order to stop it,” Phillips said.
The second year of the women’s march also marks the anniversary of the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“This year the momentum continues,” Saskatoon march organizer Julia Price said. “We don’t live in isolation of any issue. Women’s issues are human rights issues and human rights issues are women’s rights issues.”
Since, there has been an increase of momentum, with the emergence of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, which continue to denounce sexual assault and harassment.
“I think hope is one thing out of 2017 everyone needs to garner. I think Saskatoon can definitely be a part of that hope,” Alice DeCloedt, also a Saskatoon march organizer said.
It’s estimated around 40 Canadian communities hosted marches on Saturday.
“The whole ethos is looking back and marching forward,” DeCloedt said.