It’s not about trying to save money, it’s about the principle” J.Campbell
The annual gay pride parade in Toronto is a huge event attracting tens of thousands from around the region and internationally.
The parade organizers, under pressure from a vocal minority, have said the Toronto Police can no longer have a float or walk in uniform with the parade.
A Toronto city councillor is suggesting that because of that “exclusion”, the city should suspend its grant funding for the event. John Campbell says he already has the informal support of several other councillors and will present a motion for debate in the coming weeks.
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John Campbell says the city provides all kinds of special services for the parade such as policing, ambulance, transport, para-medics etc which costs the city about $750,000. He says the city also gives a direct grant to the parade organizers to help cover their own operating expenses. That is a $260,000 direct grant.
Campbell has expressed dismay that the Pride parade group says it is inclusive but is now in this case instead practicing exclusion.
He will make the proposal to suspend the grant funds “until such time as they reaffirm their principle of inclusion”.
The issue began when the Toronto chapter of Black Lives Matter Toronto (BLM-TO) was invited as an honoured guest in last year’s parade.
However in the middle of the event the group suddenly staged a sit-in blocking the parade, and refused to move until parade organizers signed their long list of demands, one of which was to keep police floats and uniformed police from joining in the parade. Although initially agreed to under extreme duress at the time in order to get the parade moving again, Pride voted earlier this year to maintain the ban on uniformed police in the parade
Some gay and lesbian members of the Toronto Police have publicly expressed their dismay at being excluded from joining in while in uniform.
Councillor Campbell says his proposal does not affect funding for the other services such as police crowd and traffic control, para-medical services and so on.
In February, the Toronto Police Chief issued the following statement sent to RCI which read in part:
“We have made great strides with the LGBTQ communities. It’s an inclusive relationship I’m proud of and I know the men and women of the Service feel the same way. We understand the LGBTQ communities are divided. To enable those differences to be addressed, I have decided the Toronto Police Service will not participate, this year, in the Pride Parade…… I will sit down with any group who feels marginalized, who comes to the table with ideas on how to make things better.”
In light of the situation from last year’s Toronto parade, the Halifax (Nova Scotia) Regional Police (HRP) this year has also decided against direct participation within the parade
A statement also sent to RCI reads in part,
” HRP, following discussions with Halifax Pride, will increase its participation in the 2017 Halifax Pride Festival but not participate in this year’s parade. … we recognized that our participation in the parade may contribute to divisions in the LGBT2Q+ community which is contrary to our intent of building a strong and sustainable relationship.”
Various Black Lives Matter chapters in Canada have also sent letters to Pride parade organizers in their cities saying that police in uniform should not be in parades.
In the major urban port city of Vancouver, British Columbia on the west coast, BLM started an online petition to keep uniformed police out of their August parade. But, a coalition of LBGTQ groups has sent a counter-petition to Pride parade organizers asking that uniformed police be allowed to march.
In Ottawa, Ontario the police services in the national capital have sent a letter to Pride parade organizers there asking that police not be excluded from that parade where they have marched since 2002.
Additional information- sources
- Vancouver Sun: Griffin Feb 14/17: Vancouver duelling petitions
- Toronto Sun: A Artuso Mar 28/17- no funds without cops in parade
- Toronto Star:S-J Battersby:Apr 2016: BLM-TO founder- highly controversial tweet
- CBC: Apr/16 BLM highly controversial tweet
- PostMedia A Furey: Feb 11/17- BLM-TO founder- white people are defects
- CBC: L Howells Mar 28/17- Pride reaction to funding
- CBC: A Grant Jan 14/17- LGBT officer disheartened by Pride decision
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