OTTAWA — A contentious march supporting parental rights is set to return Friday.
Speaking at a news conference on Parliament Hill Thursday, representatives of Hands off our Kids say they expect upwards of two million participants to take part in rallies across the country, opposing what they describe as a proliferation of identity politics in schools, and opposing what their website describes as “sexually explicit content and gender ideology” distributed in Canadian classrooms.
“These ideologies erode family authority and integrity, and pose a threat to the stability and security of our society,” said Dr. Anne Gillies. “We are calling on Sept. 20 for parents across Canada to stand up, to stand out, to stand firm, and to speak out.”
Last year’s march attracted criticism and condemnation, and garnered accusations that Hands off out Kids was a hate group.
The group’s website list marches scheduled to take place in cities across Canada.
Counter-protests by unions and LGBTQ+ groups are expected to take place alongside many of the planned marches.
“We are a peaceful movement, we do not hate any minority group,” said Hands off our Kids founder Kamel El-Cheikh.
“I ask our prime minister and all these groups who are smearing us in the media that we are not transphobic or homophobic, whatever that word means. We don’t adhere to the pronouns and what you believe — we respect it, but we’ll respectfully disagree.”
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