Prime Minister to march in Canada’s largest Pride parade today
Posted Jun 25, 2017 05:00:04 AM.
Last Updated Jun 25, 2017 07:14:56 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will march in Canada’s largest Pride parade today.
Trudeau, who became the first sitting prime minister to march in a Pride parade during last year’s event, will be joined by other dignitaries including Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde and more than 150 groups and organizations.
Toronto’s long-running Pride festival draws huge crowds to the downtown area each year to celebrate the city’s LGBTQ community.
But uniformed police officers will be absent from the march this year, after parade organizer Pride Toronto barred police floats from participating earlier this year.
In January, organizers decided to adopt a list of demands issued by the Toronto chapter of Black Lives Matter, which included a ban on police floats.
The issue first came to widespread public attention during last year’s parade, when members of the anti-racism group staged a sit-in that halted the march until Pride organizers signed a list of demands.
Black Lives Matter has argued that allowing uniformed officers at the parade could discourage marginalized communities from attending.
Parade organizers say that officers are welcome to attend the parade, so long as they don’t bring their uniforms, weapons and cruisers along.
