Montreal,  Quebec, June 9th, 2024 — At 10am this morning, four supporters of Last  Generation Canada stopped traffic on the Concorde Bridge leading into  the Canadian Grand Prix. Last Generation Canada is demanding government  action on the climate crisis, starting with the creation of a national  firefighting agency. In addition, the group demands that the government  implement a citizens' assembly with legally binding power to decide how  to tackle the climate and ecological crisis this year. This action  follows the group blocking Highway 417 in Ottawa last week.

Since 2023, the campaign has  interrupted the Juno Awards, painted museum exhibits, thrown paint on  art, and caused traffic delays. A part of the global A22 Network, Last  Generation Canada is coordinated by ordinary people driven to act as  climate impacts ravage the country.

Marie Jane Poirier, a student at  Concordia says “I recognize that this action may seem crazy to some  people. But in the greater scheme of things when you look at the future  we’re currently facing due to the climate crisis, actions like these are not scary to think about.”

The group’s demands are fueled  by the out-of-control Canadian wildfires that, in 2023 released two  billion tonnes of CO2, an amount greater than the total emissions of 100  countries. The wildfires destroyed five per cent of Canada’s Boreal forest.

Currently, over 70 per cent of  Canadian firefighters are volunteers. As Alberta Fire Chiefs urgently  call for a provincial strategy, Quebec firefighters prepare for a  strike, and Ontario cuts its wildfire fighting budget, Last Generation  Canada calls on the federal government to train and employ 50,000  firefighters this year.

Laura Osorio, a 26-year old  school teacher says  “I don’t think a national firefighting agency is a  lot to ask for. It’s the bare minimum. Experts agree, 3 out of 4  Canadians agree. I don’t see why we need to continue to petition and ask  our government nicely—we’ve done that. The climate crisis is enough  that we have to disrupt business as usual.”

The nonviolent campaign says disruptions will continue into this summer  and the campaign will iteratively undertake further nonviolent  disruptive action in the future until their demands are met.