A virtual rally hosted by Sustainabiliteens, Our Earth Our Future, Leadnow, Dogwood and Stand.earth, calling on Canadians to oppose a bailout for Big Oil billionaires. Protesters say Canada must support workers and communities impacted by Covid-19, not prop up a sunset industry.
Problems and Purpose
The Government of Canada is being lobbied by the province of Alberta to commit to a large bailout of roughly $15 billion dollars to the oil industry to help it stay afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Background History and Context
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
Participant Recruitment and Selection
Methods and Tools Used
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
Organizers convened the rally using Zoom, an online video conferencing platform. Pre-determined speakers were given short blocks of time to share insights and views on the environmental challenges faced by Canada and the world, and why Government bailout money should be used to support everyday Canadians, not large corporations. Facilitators introduced each speaker, sent out a few group polls using Zoom's polling tool, and largely kept the roughly 600 participants on mute. The group was un-muted to chant together at the end of the rally, and was asked to take screenshot selfies of themselves at the rally and tweet at the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau using the hash tag #PeopleNotPolluters.