Thousands of people took it to the streets of dozens of cities across Canada Saturday to take part in the global "Day of Action" to urge for more efforts to combat climate change.

About 150 events were staged in Canada, including people riding bikes in Montreal, church ringing bells in Victoria and other different activities.

The events, which kicked off first in Australia and involves people in 181 countries, were organized by www.350.org, a group dedicated to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in air to 350 parts per million.

Scientist say the number is the safest limit for carbon dioxide levels in the air. The world is currently over that number, at 383 parts per million.

In Ottawa, about one thousand people, braving the cold, driving rain, rallied on the Parliament Hill, calling the Conservative government to do more to fight climate change.

"We want Canada to be very strong in the Copenhagen (UN Climate Change Conference), to stand up to produce very ambitious goals, " Mcgill University student Kaia Tomtak told Xinhua in front of the parliament building. "Because right now we have been toning down the goals."

"We're the No.1 worst CO2 emitter per capital in the world because (Alberta's) tar sands produce so much greehouse gases. We want them to shut down," said Tomtak who wrote "shut down tar sands" in red paint on her face.

another protester, Alex, who is from Oxford Canada, dressed in a loose T-shirt with a big clock's picture in the front. The arms of the clock were pointing to 3:50, referring to 350 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere.

"We have to turn the clock back on the CO2 emission to prevent a catastrophical climate change," he said.

In Vancouver, 5,000 people surged over the Cambie Street bridge and along Pacific Boulevard for an afternoon of music and festivities on Saturday, all aimed at bringing attention to global warming.

A giant 100-meter-wide banner made by school students from around the Lower Mainland was hung off the side of the bridge. The banner said, "Canadians Care Cut Emissons Now."

In Edmonton, meanwhile, dozens of demonstrators huddled around a DYING FOR CLIMATE LEADERSHIP banner at the Alberta Legislature.

The Canadian Conservative government has been accused of failing to put forward a viable climate-change plan. It insists a 20 per cent reduction of greenhouse gases by 2020 based on 2006 levels is realistic, but that has been criticized for not being ambitious enough. The Conservatives argue that unrealistic targets would threaten the country's economy.

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