(NUPGE) – On Oct. 29 activists of the Occupy movement around the globe took to the streets to add their voice to the growing demand for a Robin Hood Tax (financial transactions tax or FTT).
Marches were held in San Antonio, Las Vegas, Washington DC, Santa Fe, Denver, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Sydney, Amarillo, Salt Lake City, Berlin and other cities around the world.
In Canada, activists with the movement took to the streets in Corner Brook, Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver.
According to Edmonton Occupy spokesperson Chelsea Taylor the Robin Hood Tax is a "way to generate some revenue to deal with global poverty, to deal with climate change."
Many of the Occupy marchers criticized the federal government's lack of leadership on a Robin Hood tax.
"Finance minster Jim Flaherty was over at the finance ministers meeting saying he would not put any kind of tax on the banks so that kind of lets us know where their priorities are," Taylor said.
"They would rather see harmonized sales tax on you and me and they won't even tax the richest people, the richest institutions," she added.
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) and its Components were active supporters of the Global March.
At the Edmonton rally Elisabeth Ballermann, President of Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA/NUPGE), spoke to the protesters. In Ontario, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) produced t-shirts to distribute to participants. Across the country NUPGE members and activists distributed buttons and pamphlets.