Poilievre’s office remains silent on leader’s Pride plans, other party leaders plan to attend

OTTAWA — Pierre Poilievre is the only federal leader whose staff won’t answer questions about his leader’s plans to participate in Pride events this summer.

Officials for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May all answered questions to confirm they would 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 the June 3 ceremony that people should be mindful of who is present.

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

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

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

Pride Month is celebrated every June, coinciding with the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City in 1969, which broke out following police raids on a gay club. The overarching goal is to achieve equality for the LGBTQ+ community, while elevating the voices and culture of its members.

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

He is also expected to participate 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 be participating in Pride events across the country this summer, 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, in 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 reported 491 hate crimes targeting sexual orientation in 2022, a 12% increase from the previous high in 2021.

Targeting by race and sexual orientation also drove most of the overall increase in hate crimes seen in 2022, the report said.

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

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

Canada is not immune to growing debate, including over which toilets people should be allowed to use and whether children can decide, without their parents’ advice, to change their name or pronoun they identify with.

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 wish to be referred to by 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 block young people from accessing gender-based therapies, such as hormones and puberty blockers, a policy Poilievre supported.

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 confrontations.

“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, especially the trans community, have become scapegoats for political interests and political gains.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2024.

— With files from Jeremy Simes in Regina

Mickey Djuric, The Canadian Press