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Third annual Women’s March started in the United States after President Trump’s inauguration

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Women's March organizers and councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam at the Women's March in Toronto on Jan. 19, 2019.Jessica Lee/The Globe and Mail

Women and their allies participated in marches across Canada on Saturday, 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.

Farther west, a group of roughly 150 braved frigid temperatures that dipped below -22 C to hold a rally in a downtown park in Montreal.

Jumping and stomping their feet to keep warm, attendees 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.

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Drummers lead hundreds of people through downtown during the third annual Women's March in Vancouver, on Jan. 19, 2019.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press

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A young woman holds a sign bearing Tina Fontaine's name during the third annual Women's March in Vancouver, on Jan. 19, 2019.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press

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 women’s rights and stand in solidarity, no matter what the day is,” she said.

In Toronto, a crowd outside City Hall also braved extremely 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.

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Erin Edghill and Louisa Julius at the Women's March in Toronto on Jan. 19, 2019: 'The future is femme and non-binary.'Jessica Lee/The Globe and Mail

Speakers in Toronto also called attention to the Ontario government’s repeal of the modernized sex-education curriculum and this week’s announcement of changes to postsecondary tuition and grants.

“This provincial government is not open for business,” said Farrah Khan, mocking one of the Doug Ford government’s key slogans.

Ms. Khan, who advocates for sexual-violence support and education, said the Progressive Conservative government “does not support women.”

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Siobahn O'Neill attends the Women's March in Toronto on Jan. 19, 2019: 'I am marching for our future. I am marching for right now. I am marching for myself and my fellow sisters and I'm marching for hope and that I know we're going to change and one day, we don't have to do this.'Jessica Lee/The Globe and Mail

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Hundreds of demonstrators showed their support for women's rights at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto on Jan. 19, 2019.Jessica Lee/The Globe and Mail

Marches were organized across the world on Saturday in solidarity with those marching in Washington. The movement started in the United States after President Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017.

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

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'It baffles my mind that in 2019, we're still doing something like this. But I'm here, using my position of privilege, using my voice and trying to amplify the women around me.' Christopher Grondin was one of hundreds who attended the Women's March in Toronto on Jan. 19, 2019, to show support for women's rights.Jessica Lee/The Globe and Mail

In Vancouver, a crowd showed support for the hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation by chanting “No consent, no pipeline” as a natural gas pipeline is planned for the community’s traditional territory.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also participated in the Vancouver march, which he called an “incredibly powerful movement.

“It’s been far too long that we’ve seen oppression and injustice and inequality, so to be a brother standing in solidarity with my sisters is an honour,” said Mr. Singh, who’s hoping to win a federal by-election in the nearby riding of Burnaby South.

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Didi Gardner at the Women's March in Toronto: 'I did a lot of marching and protesting during the Mike Harris days, but this man, Doug Ford, is more dangerous.'Jessica Lee/The Globe and Mail

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Lourdes David at the Women's March in Toronto: 'I think a lot of young people think that problems with equality are resolved, but we're still fighting for a lot of things.'Jessica Lee/The Globe and Mail

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