Today, two supporters of Last Generation Canada and Antigone Collective have blocked access to Montreal's Jacques Cartier Bridge. The two supporters are currently climbing on the bridge. It is a similar action to one taken in 2019 by Extinction Rebellion (XR) supporters, which saw the same bridge closed for hours. The two groups want to highlight that while the climate emergency has worsened, the federal government has taken no meaningful action during the five years since the XR disruption.

Last Generation Canada is demanding that the federal government endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to stop extracting and burning oil, gas and coal by 2030 and support and finance other countries to make a fast, fair and just transition. They are also demanding the creation of a National Emergency Management Agency to respond to unnatural disasters like wildfires and floods. Antigone Collective, alongside Last Generation, is demanding the shutdown of Enbridge's Line 9B pipeline.

Starting at around 5 AM ET, Last Generation Canada and Antigone Collective supporters began climbing Montreal’s Jacques Cartier bridge, where they currently remain, with a banner that reads ‘OIL IS KILLING US.’ The action is being livestreamed on Last Generation Canada and Antigone Collective’s Facebook and Instagram accounts and police have shut down the bridge to traffic.

Both groups use non-destructive, non-violent civil disobedience tactics. As a result, no people or property are put at risk during the action.

Jacob Pirro, 24, is one of the people currently sitting on the bridge. When asked what compelled them to take action today, Jacob had this to say: 

When thinking of why I'm here today, I'm confident that Quebec's people will forgive me for this rough morning. If being a model citizen who must follow unjust laws means that I have to be a bad uncle and a bad neighbour, I'm happy to reject this title. I'm not the one who's not respecting our social contract. 

Olivier Huard, 47, is also taking action.

We've been here before calling on our government to take action about the climate emergency. In the last five years, we saw wildfires deporting families in masses, floods blocking roads and costing billions in repair, and heatwaves killing vulnerable folks. What we didn't see is our government taking care of the crisis in the extreme measures needed. 

Today’s action follows the release of a major report by some of the world’s top scientists, which warns “we are on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster.” This summer was the hottest on record, with a third of Jasper destroyed by wildfire, communities across B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Labrador evacuated, and catastrophic flooding in southern Ontario and Quebec. Continuing to pump fossil fuels into the atmosphere ensures extreme weather events like these will increase in severity and frequency. Experts confirm that Canada is currently not prepared for the myriad impacts of the climate emergency.

It’s clear – governments and fossil fuel companies are waging war on humanity. Continuing to extract and burn oil, gas and coal is killing people all over the world and will destroy whole nations. The Canadian government has failed to address the impacts of the climate crisis at just 1.5 degrees of warming. They’ve failed to act against the biggest threat we’ve ever faced, meeting with fossil fuel lobbyists as Canada floods, scorches and burns. We refuse to die for fossil fuels and we refuse to stand by while millions are murdered. We refuse to watch as our government drags its feet to take action to protect us. We ask everyone to join us in the resistance. We have a plan. Are you in?