Thousands rally at Women's March in Ottawa, demand a 'better world'

Thousands of women and their supporters rallied through downtown Ottawa Saturday as part of this year's Women's March.

The event marks the anniversary of last year's marchin Washington, D.C., but women at this year'sdemonstration say the #MeToo movement has clearlyshowntheirstruggle for equality is far from over.

"We've been fighting this fight for a long time and we're not ready to stop now," said LauraAllerdyce.

"There's a long way to go, especially for people of colour [and]people of different sexual orientations."

'A better world for my daughter'

Ottawa police say between 6,000 and 8,000 people took part in this year'smarch, which left Parliament Hill around 1 p.m. before winding its way through downtown Ottawa.

Among the marchers wereMargaret Cameron-Ameen and her seven-year-old daughter, Iyabo.

"I want a better world for my daughter," Cameron-Ameen said."I want her to feel like she's equal and that she has the same rights as her brother ... to be able stand up and say that the way that people of colour are treated in our society just isn't good enough."

'You should be afraid not us'

While last year's march focused intensely on U.S. President Donald Trump, many of the marchers this yearsaid theywere more concerned withwhat they could do here at home.

Ally Freedman, a Mtis woman from Ottawa, said Canada has its ownproblems to address, including missing and murdered Indigenous women, alack of women in politics, as well asbroader discrimination on the basis of race, gender and sexual orientation.

"If you are someone who is trying to shut our voices out, you should be afraid not us," she said. "We're coming and we will not stop until we have equality."

Conversations needed about consent

After missing last year's march, Cat Kelly was determined to hit the streets this time around. The Carleton University studentsaidfeminism has been important to her since high school, when she first remembers experiencing sexism.

If society is to have any hope ofeliminating sexual harassment and violence, Kelly said,it's critical that young men learn early on what consent really means.

"These are conversations we're not having in the high school gym class," she said. "You might know how to put a condom on, but you don't know what consent looks like."

Although the #MeToomovement helped bring these issuesto the forefront online, Kelly saidit's important for people to show up in person and engage in sometimes difficult conversations.

"There's still so much work to do in order for us to find equality and equal opportunity," she said. "We will always need someone to stand up and fight for us."