Canadians join Women’s March on Washington

Canadians are joining the Women’s March on Washington, D.C. today.

Skedline reporters are traveling on one of five buses that left Toronto last night to bring men, women and children to what is expected to be one of the biggest inauguration protests in U.S. history.

People expressed different motivations for making the trip, but their common thread is to show support in the march against Donald Trump, who was sworn in as the  45th president of the United States earlier in the day.

“Our purpose is to march not protest,” says Toronto organizer Stephanie McWatters. “We are going to show our support and celebrate equality, inclusion and diversity.”

In Toronto, passengers were in great spirits as they boarded the buses as organizers made them aware of the rules for the march. A few people among the large group  making their way onto the buses spoke about their reasons for joining the march.

“I made the decision to march to raise awareness to women’s inequalities and our rights and the events that are happening in the climate that we live in,” says Pauline Anderson, 32, a social worker at the Salvation Army in Toronto.

Bernard Powell, 36, another passenger from Toronto, organizes a charity organization and a mentorship program where mostly women are involved.

“I just wanted to come out and support and try to help as much as I can because I believe there is a core value to all this to show women that we do respect them and they deserve the same equality,” Powell says.

Other passengers say they believe the march is for a good cause and they are feeling happy about the turnout of Canadians.

U.S. organizers say”The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights.”

The march is expected to take place at Independence Ave and Third St SW, near the U.S. Capitol.

Reuters reports some 673 “sister marches” are planned worldwide today, in addition to the Washington protest, which the organizers’ website says is expected to draw more than two million marchers.

Skedline reporters  will provide updates and stories from the road to Washington and during the march. Follow them @skedline on Twitter and Instagram.