A "Cancel Canada Day" rally took place in Vancouver on Wednesday (PHOTOS)

While there were no public Canada Day celebrations in Vancouver this year due to concerns over the pandemic, a gathering of a different kind drew hundreds out to the streets to participate in what was dubbed the “Cancel Canada Day” protest.

The event was hosted by Idle No More, an Indigenous-led social movement that calls for a “peaceful revolution which honours and fulfils Indigenous sovereignty.” The women-led movement began in 2012 to protest the Canadian government’s “dismantling of environmental protection laws.”

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Event organizers said they would not celebrate the ongoing genocide within Canada against Indigenous people” but instead would gather “to honour all of the lives lost to the Canadian State.”

Those who attended the event shared their shots on social media.

 

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A post shared by S K Y L A R • L O V E (@i_am_skylar_love) on Jul 2, 2020 at 7:11am PDT

 

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A post shared by S K Y L A R • L O V E (@i_am_skylar_love) on Jul 2, 2020 at 7:26am PDT

 

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A post shared by S K Y L A R • L O V E (@i_am_skylar_love) on Jul 2, 2020 at 7:20am PDT

 

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A post shared by Tabatha Frank (@huuyatlh) on Jul 2, 2020 at 10:27am PDT

 

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A post shared by Joy Muriel Kaegi Maurer (@joyaliciousnesssss) on Jul 2, 2020 at 10:01am PDT

 

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Tagged are some of the groups present during the event. I suggest that you check them out to see how you can support/get involved! I used to celebrate Canada Day. It meant barbecues and potlucks. It meant watching fireworks. It meant watching the parades. To me, an immigrant, it was a day to celebrate the country that I am fortunate to reside in. I bought into the whole “Canada is proud of its multicultural heritage” that I truly believed it at that point. I was wrong to celebrate a country that exists due to the forced relocation and genocide of Indigenous people. A country that upholds white supremacy by systemically discriminating against Indigenous folks. It didn’t end when the last residential school was closed to like I was taught in school. It looks a bit different but it continues to this day. I can’t celebrate Canada Day for that reason. Instead of barbecues and fireworks, I need to show solidarity with the Indigenous community and hold the government accountable for their crimes. I need to keep educating myself and others. Until we can fully acknowledge, correct, and compensate for the racist and violent past of Canada, I don’t want to celebrate Canada Day. #kkkanada #canadaday #cancelcanadaday #reconciliation #mmiwg2s

A post shared by Alyssa (she/her) ☀️ (@vgnearth) on Jul 1, 2020 at 11:37pm PDT

 

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A post shared by Linda James | tłalipiniga̱ (@tlalipiniga) on Jul 1, 2020 at 11:21pm PDT

 

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A post shared by Tallulah UK Canada Photog (@tallulah_photo) on Jul 1, 2020 at 9:56pm PDT