‘Our bodies, our future’: Saskatchewan marches highlight women’s issues

The frigid temperatures did not stop hundreds of people from gathering around the province for the annual Women’s March on Saturday.

In Regina, the walk started at the new YWCA facility at 10 a.m. and went until noon. It welcomed marchers with a blessing from a First Nations elder and some performances.

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People gathered for Regina's women's march.

People gathered inside Regina’s new YWCA building before the march started on Saturday. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

Krystal Kolodziejak is with the YWCA and helps run the Women’s March Regina. She spoke on the Greg Morgan Morning Show about the annual event.

Kolodziejak said the theme each year is chosen to reflect or highlight issues happening to women and gender-diverse people around the world.

This year’s theme was “Our bodies, our future.”

“In Saskatchewan, that definitely connects to the continued challenges we have with Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG),” she said.

“It connects to the fact that Saskatchewan continues to have the highest rates of intimate partner violence in Canada. And it also connects to reproductive rights, whether it’s having access to resources or services for women and gender-diverse people in our community.”

The march was a success! I’d say about 100 people showed up to brave the cold temperatures for the rights of women and gender-diverse peoples. Both YWCA’S in Regina and Saskatoon hosted a walk today. @CJMENews @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/pOgcqliQkE

— Nicole Garn (@garnnic) January 18, 2025

Kolodziejak also acknowledged that the march was in solidarity with what’s happening in the U.S., like the overturning of abortion rights ruling Roe V. Wade.

“We want to show solidarity, not only with them but realizing the impact that it can ripple over into Canada and that we aren’t immune to that happening here as well, so we want to make sure that it’s top of mind,” she said.

Kolodziejak said the marches have a positive impact and put faces to the numbers.

“It’s also a way for like-minded people to join together and really celebrate each other,” she said.

“We continue to see where some of these stats and numbers are going in the wrong direction, so it shows that we need to continue to draw attention to it.”

Scott Murray was one of the men marching in Regina on Saturday. He says its important for men to lift up the women around them and fight for equality. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

Scott Murray said he was marching because he thought people had a misconception that the fight was over for women’s rights.

“I don’t think that’s the case. I think that we’re in a situation now, especially today politically, where women’s rights … are under threat more than ever before. It’s important that we come out here, we continue to fight, and we show up for the women in our lives,” he said.

Fellow marcher Brittany Larson agreed that there was a lot of inequality that women still experienced, like partnership violence and attacks on reproductive rights.

“Women should have rights over their bodies,” she said.

Sarah Cummings Truszkowski was accompanied by her 12-year-old daughter Grace at the march, with the pair carrying signs saying “No one is free when others are oppressed” and “Fight like a girl.”

“For women it’s not always a given that what happens to our bodies is in our hands. It’s often in the hands of policymakers and people who are in charge and often those people are white privileged men and that’s not always right,” Cummings Truszkowski said.

The 20-30 minute walk started in the Cathedral neighbourhood, travelled through downtown and circled back to the YWCA building for a community social.

Saskatoon marchers support period equity

In Saskatoon, marchers collected donations for Moon Time Connections, an Indigenous-led period equity group under the umbrella of True North Aid that supports menstruators across the country by ensuring they have access to menstrual products, and by providing vital menstrual education.

According to their website, the group was founded in Saskatchewan in 2017 as Moon Time Sisters and has grown to include four chapters — in Saskatchewan, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia — and has partnered with over 120 northern Indigenous Communities in all provinces and territories.

Moon Time Connections says it has shipped over four million period products to high schools, elementary schools, midwifery organizations, health care centres, friendship centres, shelters, food banks and community programs in remote areas.

A Saskatchewan government program begun in 2023 has provided millions of free menstrual products to people in need in the province, distributing them to schools and shelters across the province.

The program was expanded to include post-secondary schools in September 2024.

— with files from CKOM News

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