They set off from the Shaw Conference Centre with air of optimism and by the time they arrived at the Alberta Legislature the protest was in full swing; hundreds of Albertans rallied Saturday to protest budget cuts to education and public services.
More than 300 people joined the protest Saturday to send Premier Ed Stelmach and his government a clear message.
"We are not going to stand quietly by and let this government cut the public services and programs that strengthen the fabric of our communities," said really organizer Bill Moore-Kilgannon.
The provincial budget which was announced in February
Public Interest Alberta joined with other groups to protest provincial budget cuts which were announced in February. The budget is expected to pass and some say that highlights a major problem regarding the government's priorities, not their resources.
"They have billions of dollars that they've just given to the oil and gas industry and I think that we need to value some of the other services much more than that," said Moore-Kilgannon.
High school students also joined the rally, saying funding to post-secondary education should be a priority.
"I think it's pretty unfair because a lot of students in high school have worked to hard and these cuts will be very prohibitive to us," said Grade 11 student Mallory Chipman.
Advanced Education Minister Doug Horner addressed student concerns at a rally earlier this week saying he understands the challenges students face and has sympathy for them.
While many believe the 2010/2011 budget will pass protesters say it was still important that they voiced their opposition.
"I imagine its going to happen despite what we're doing here today, but we're not going to stop protesting," said social worker Denice Beachell. "We're not going to stop trying to make changes that are positive for the people."
CTV News tried to get comments from the ministers of education, health and social services but none were available for comments.
With files from Deb Shiry
