Thousands gather in memory of Tina Fontaine in Toronto

Thousands gathered in Toronto Saturday afternoon in a call for justice for Tina Fontaine and a call for thereparation of Canada's child welfare system.

"There's resistance in your simple existence," saidorganizerMadyson Arscott, 16,this afternoon.

"You show more courage walking out the door in the morning than the ones who are trying to silence you have had in their whole lives," she added.

Arscott was the primary organizer of Saturday's rally andused it to remind other young Indigenous people that their lives are valued even when faced with discrimination and violence.

She saidthe death of Fontaine hit close to home, which inspired her to action.

Last week, Raymond Cormier was acquitted in the murder of Tina Fontaine, a 15-year-old girl from Sagkeeng First Nation who was found in Winnipeg's Red River in 2014.

Fontaine was staying in a hotel, under the custody of Child and Family services, when she was murdered.

"Young people like Tina Fontaine could have transformed the world if they were given the tools and the opportunity," said NDPMP Charlie Angus.

"This government has to say the value of life of Indigenous children is a hell of a lot greater than all of the oil or gold or diamonds that will ever come out of this nation," Angus added."Until we get that through our heads we're not going to be the nations we're meant to be."

The results of the Cormier trial come on the heels of the acquittal of Gerald Stanley who was charged in the murder of Colten Boushie.

Over the past few weeks, there have been gatherings and rallies from coast to coast calling for justice, as Indigenous people and their allies stand together in solidarity.

"We know right now in Ontario there are more children in care than there were, that were taken from their families in the residential school system," said Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath.

"That's not acceptable. We have to do better by young women, young Indigenous women like Tina, andby Indigenous children all together."