Photo: CTV

Thousands of scientists worldwide, including those in Canada, are planning to leave their labs and take to the streets today to rail against what they say are mounting attacks against science.

The March for Science, which coincides with Earth Day, will take place in more than 500 cities around the world — with about 18 scheduled in cities across Canada.

The marches will be anchored in Washington and will be joined by dozens of nonpartisan scientific professional societies.

The protests put scientists, who generally shy away from advocacy and whose work depends on objective experimentation, into a more public position.

Organizers portrayed the march as political but not partisan, promoting the understanding of science as well as defending it from various attacks, including proposed U.S. government budget cuts under President Donald Trump, such as a 20 per cent slice of the National Institute of Health.

In Toronto, the protesters will begin in front of city hall and march down to the Ontario legislature.