OTTAWA: Rallies inspired by anti-corporate demonstrators in New York were planned for at least 15 Canadian cities on Saturday, organizers announced online.
Thousands of people are expected to attend the protests in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, the capital Ottawa and other major cities, according to organizers' Facebook pages and Twitter messages.
"We want to come together to say that in a world of such wealth, there is no need for such economic disparity. There is no need for so many people to go without," Katie Harris, who is involved in the movement, was quoted as saying by public broadcaster CBC.
Student Marlee Cameron agreed, saying: "I just don't understand why in a country where we have so much, there are so many people who have to choose between having a roof over their head or eating."
Organizers who held planning meetings in cities across the country Thursday reportedly called the day of action "leaderless" and "non-violent."
Canada's chief moneyman, Jim Flaherty, said he understood the protesters' "legitimate frustrations."
But he noted that Canada's progressive income tax system, where higher incomes are taxed at increasingly higher rates, prevents major wealth disparities.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper stressed that Canada's economic picture was "very different" from the United States.
"We are extremely focused on the needs of Canadians and the needs of the middle class... We didn't bail out our banking sector," he said. "I think Canadians understand that."
The Occupy Wall Street protests were launched on September 7 in the United States by Americans protesting "greed" in the country's financial heartland.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.