Hundreds of Montrealers brave sub-zero temperatures during downtown Women's March

Hundreds brave Montreal cold for Women's March As part of the international movement, Montrealers convened at Place Emilie-Gamelin to call attention to equal opportunity and MMIWG.

Thousands across Canada are expected to participate in the third annual Women's March today in a bid to call attention to violence against women.

Across the country, marches are taking place that will also feature speakers, music and art related to women's issues.

The movement started in the U.S. following President Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017.

Marches across the world, including in Canada, were organized in solidarity with those marching in Washington, D.C.

The movement also works towards protecting reproductive rights and acknowledging issues faced by the LGBTQ community, Indigenous people, immigrants, workers and people with disabilities.

In Montreal, over 200 demonstrators of all ages gathered at Jardins Gamelin, touting banners and dressed in layers to stave off the glacial cold.

Jumping and stomping their feet to keep warm, they waved an assortment of handmade signs demanding justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women, an end to sexual harassment and abuse, and basic gender equality.

The movement also works towards protecting reproductive rights and acknowledging issues faced by the LGBTQ community, Indigenous people, immigrants, workers and people with disabilities.

Caroline Alince, 19, said she felt like the cold was a "metaphor" for the strength of those fighting for equality.

"No matter what the conditions are, there's no excuse to not fight for womens' rights and stand in solidarity, no matter what the day is," she said.

Some of the younger participants called for gender parity in the workplace.

Marches across Canada

Women and their allies are participating in marches across Canada, from large cities to tiny villages, demanding the advancement of the rights of women and other vulnerable groups.

Attendance for the annual march in the small fishing village of Sandy Cove, N.S., exploded this year to 50 people, two years after the first march charmed the internet with its small-scale demonstration of just 15.

In Toronto, a crowd outside city hall also braved the extreme cold weather to hear from speakers before they marched.

"As we march today, let's think about the trans women of colour who are not here today because of systemic violence," said advocate Yasmeen Persad, a transgender woman from the Caribbean.

Speakers in Toronto also called attention to the Ontario government's repeal of the modernized sex-ed curriculum and Thursday's announcement on changes to post-secondary tuition and grants.

(With files from The Canadian Press)