Poilievre’s office remains silent on leader’s Pride plans as other party leaders say they will attend

Pierre Poilievre is the only federal party leader whose staff won’t say whether his leader plans to participate in Pride events this summer.

Representatives for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May have all confirmed they will be attending various Pride events.

Poilievre’s office responded to the same question by saying that Melissa Lantsman, the party’s deputy leader, attended a Pride flag-raising ceremony on Parliament Hill earlier this month.

Jordan Ames-Sinclair, a Two-Spirit activist, said at that June 3 ceremony that people should be careful about who attends.

“I think it’s interesting to note who’s not there and the leaders we don’t see making improving our community a priority,” Ames-Sinclair said.

Poilievre did not publicly celebrate Pride Month during his June travels across the country to meet with community groups. He did highlight other events, including St. John the Baptist Day, Italian Heritage Month and the Toronto Christian Music Festival.

LGBTQ+ groups across North America celebrate June as Pride Month, although festivals and parades take place throughout the summer in various Canadian cities.

Pride Month is celebrated every June, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, which broke out following police raids on a gay club.

Singh’s office confirmed he will march in the Pride parade this weekend in Toronto, a tradition dating back to his days as a member of the provincial legislature.

He is also expected to march in the Montreal Pride parade in August. Although Singh did not attend the flag-raising ceremony on Parliament Hill due to a scheduling conflict, his office said he had recently attended a Pride flag-raising ceremony in Winnipeg.

Trudeau’s office confirmed he would attend summer Pride events across the country, but did not release details.

Blanchet officials confirmed that he, too, would participate in Pride events, without disclosing details.

May has discussed her plans to attend Pride events on her social media pages, and her staff confirmed Friday that she intends to join Pride events in Victoria, Vancouver, Salt Spring Island , British Columbia, and Halifax.

Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada, said that since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a substantial increase in hate crimes targeting people because of their sexual orientation.

A Statistics Canada report released this year found 491 hate crimes targeting sexual orientation in 2022, an increase of 12% from the previous peak recorded in 2021.

Acts targeting race and sexual orientation are also responsible for most of the overall increase in hate crimes seen in 2022, according to the report.

“When there’s this level of hatred and violence against a marginalized group, I think it’s really important to send a clear message that there are politicians who will not tolerate it,” Kennedy said. “There are politicians who will stand with them and champion what true inclusion means.”

Participation in Pride also sends a strong message that members of the LGBTQ+ community “are part of the fabric and the broader Canadian society,” as gender rights are increasingly targeted by provincial policies, he said. Kennedy said.

Canada is not immune to the growing debate over issues such as which bathrooms people should be allowed to use and whether children can decide, without parental intervention, to change their name or the pronouns with which they identify.

The Conservative premiers of Saskatchewan, Alberta and New Brunswick have all introduced new policies in recent months that require schools to notify parents when transgender or non-binary students want to use their preferred names and pronouns.

In Saskatchewan, the government used the notwithstanding clause – a rare measure that allows governments to override certain Charter rights for five years – to implement its law after the policy was challenged in court .

In response, Pride organizers banned Saskatchewan Party politicians from marching in parades in Regina, Saskatoon and other locations across the province.

In Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith introduced a controversial plan to prevent young people from accessing gender-related therapies, such as hormones and puberty blockers, a policy supported by Poilievre.

In February, Poilievre said children should be protected from making “adult decisions” until they are adults.

Polls suggest Canadians are divided on the issue, and some protests have resulted in heated clashes.

“People feel emboldened to speak out more violently against some of these issues,” Kennedy said.

“I think there’s a lot of misinformation. I think queer communities, particularly the trans community, have become scapegoats for political interests and political gains.”