Online events are also part of the annual pro-life march

By Brian Dryden, Canadian Catholic News

[Ottawa – CCN] – The theme of this year’s March For Life in Canada is “You are Not Alone”.

That theme also applies if you are a pro-life Canadian and you show up on Parliament Hill on May 13 to actually physically march in Ottawa – organizers of the event promise in-person participants will not be alone.

After cancelling the in-person march completely last year, organizers of this year’s event plan to rally in-person on Parliament Hill even though the province of Ontario and much of the rest of the country continues to enact strict rules against social gatherings across the country because of the ongoing COVID pandemic.

Organizers of the march don’t know how many people will actually show up in-person considering the ongoing COVID restrictions, but speakers have been lined up to address the marchers who do attend.

For those who can’t attend the in-person rally, the event will once again this year be available to watch online.

As well, there will be a week-long online pro-life film festival and other online events geared towards youth. All online aspects of the 2021 March For Life will be available via MarchForLife.ca and the Campaign Life Coalition’s (CLC) website and social media channels.

“We haven‘t lined up any buses to bring people in, like we have in past years, and the schools are closed, so we won’t have school trips tied into the event like we have most other years, but we will have speakers on the Hill and we will make sure that our pro-life message is delivered load and clear,” Campaign Life Coalition’s Debbie Duval said.

“We are definitely going to be there on the 13th in person to exercise our rights,” she said a week before the May 13 rally.

“We will have speakers on the Hill like during past years. How many will come out to the march, we don’t know but we will be there,” said Duval, adding that along with the president of the Campaign Life Coalition Jeff Gunnarson one of the other featured speakers on May 13 will be Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.

“We have some really interesting speakers lined up who will stress the importance of the pro-life cause,” Duval said, who acknowledged that some speakers who organizers were originally hoping to book for the Parliament Hill rally can’t attend because of the ongoing closure of the Canada-United States border.

“There are some people we were hoping to be able to bring in but with the border situation some of those plans have had to be changed but there is a lot that will be available online that will be very interesting for pro-life Canadians,” Duval said.

“Due to ongoing lockdowns and restrictions, we are preparing for a hybrid March For Life, which will feature a scaled-down rally and march on Parliament Hill on May 13, and a week-long schedule of virtual events including the annual Rose Dinner, Candlelight Vigil, and the Youth Conference,” a statement in advance of the May 13 rally on Parliament Hill from the CLC said.

“Due to popular demand, we are bringing back our pro-life film festival with several movies lined up for the week. This year’s theme, You Are Not Alone, speaks directly to those who are in a position of vulnerability and crisis, by assuring them that we are here to help.”

“To the pregnant mother, fearing an unknown future, you are not alone. To the beloved senior, who is feeling afraid and isolated, you are not alone, and to the child in the womb, who is dehumanized by our society today, you are not alone,” the CLC said.
Duval said that regardless of whether pro-life Canadians attend the May 13 rally in person or not, it is important that pro-life Canadians speak out in any manner that they feel comfortable.

“It is important everyone stand together, whether that is in person or not,” Duval said.

-30-