On the growth side of the ledger, the grassroots movement Hands Off Our Kids, which decries the promotion of the sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) ideology in schools, again orchestrated protests in dozens of cities from coast to coast.
Kamel El-Cheikh, the Ottawa-based founder of this crusade, told The Catholic Register that it was also positive to see the march merit coverage from Asian, Turkish, Russian, British and American media outlets and that a solidarity rally was staged in the Netherlands.
However, it was also manifestly apparent that the level of participation in year two was substantially less than the inaugural 1 Million March 4 Children in 2023. Estimations about the overall participation have yet to be disseminated, but various local media outlets characterized the turnout in its respective jurisdictions as “sparse,” “thin” and “small.”
“I will be the first to admit to you that we did take a hit in terms of numbers because we are still committed to 30 million people walking in years seven through 10,” said El-Cheikh. “This is going to be an annual event. An organization goes through growing pains, especially if you're an organization that is about 14 or 15 months old.”
Participants across the country spoke about how reclaiming the agency of parents, not hate, drives this movement.
“(We want to) create awareness about what's going on in the schools. Also, just a message to our government officials, again, that we as a society, as a people, we have a voice," said Cristina Fernandes, a 1 Million March For Children protester interviewed by CTV in Kitchener. "We stand in unity (against) the sexualization of our children and presenting theories as fact and truth, instead of presenting them as theories.”
Alluding to efforts of “misinformation and censorship” conducted by opponents even before Sept. 20 in a bid to “derail momentum,” El-Cheikh said his team and their allies would “go back to the drawing board” to devise new ways to amplify awareness and enthusiasm. Affiliates united with Hands Off Our Kids include Campaign Life Coalition, Parents As First Educators (PAFE) and Veterans For Freedom.
“There's a commitment to fight back next year and on Sept. 20 next year we're going to come back to continue this million people march because our nation depends on it — Canada’s children depend on it,” said El-Cheikh. “It's an affirmation worldwide that Canada's parents are parenting Canada's kids. We rely and trust on Canada's parents to parent Canada's kids.”
Though the scale of the marches declined, protest activity remained animated, particularly in Montreal’s Old Port neighbourhood. According to CTV News, the Hands Off Our Kids supporters and the opposing pro-LGBT counter-protesters vocally sparred for several hours. Reportedly, “Montreal police used tear gas to disperse the crowds,” and a police spokesperson told the media outlet that “pepper spray and batons were also used.”
Akin to 2023, some mayors released statements of condemnation of the 1 Million March 4 Children. Cam Guthrie of Guelph, Ont., suggested the protest could “push blatant discrimination and bullying tactics against individuals from our LGBTQIA2S+ community,” while Dorothy McCabe of Waterloo, Ont., said “while the City recognizes the rights of groups to gather in peaceful protest, the City of Waterloo is a place where anti-2SLGBTQIA+ messages and other forms of hate will not be tolerated. Protesting is never an excuse for hate-filled symbols, words or actions.”