Multiple rallies were held in major cities across Canada, including in the nation’s capital, as part of the second “1 Million March for Children” event, advocating for parental rights.
“They should not be told to keep secrets at school from their parents. That is wrong,” Robinson told The Epoch Times. “The family unit should be the first and foremost caregivers for their children, and that’s why I’m here speaking today.”
In Ottawa, parental rights protesters gathered by the Parliament Hill, carrying signs saying “SOGI 123 = Sexual Exploitation” and “Leave the kids alone.”
Counter-protesters appeared at the rallies as well, carrying rainbow and transgender pride flags, and signs such as, “Trans Kids Are Kids Protect Us.”
There were occasional clashes between the two groups as well.
The Epoch Times witnessed one such clash at the Toronto rally, where two counter-protesters attempted to take a banner from an attendee, resulting in a brief wrestle over the banner.
‘Let’s Go Back to Math and Science and English’
Kareem Tadros, a Mississauga resident and father of an 11-year-old girl, raised concerns about SOGI material appearing in his daughter’s homework as early as grade three. He noted that such material was also found in kindergarten classrooms, even when no transgender children were enrolled.Tadros noted that SOGI was originally introduced as a guideline or resource for teachers but has since become deeply integrated into the classroom. He added that many classrooms in Canada now display a pride flag, which he believes has no connection to academic education and undermines the classroom’s neutrality as a learning space.
“SOGI has become infused in the classroom, and it’s very obvious that it’s a political push. It has nothing to do with education,” he said. “We are asking to strip all the politics out of the classroom. Let’s go back to math and science and English.”
“Let’s start fixing the real academic before filling our children’s brains with ideologies and politics,” he added.
Tadros noted that there are other organizations that do not fall directly under the same umbrella as Hands Off Our Kids, but have organized similar parental rights protests. He added that last year’s movement saw simultaneous rallies in several other countries, including the Untied States, Belgium, and Lebanon, whereas this year, the Netherlands is known to hold a similar protest on the same day as Canada.
