Justin Trudeau will be the first sitting Prime Minister to march in the Vancouver Pride Parade, the Vancouver Pride Society announced this morning.
Trudeau previously marched in the parade in both 2014 and 2015 as leader of the federal Liberal Party.
“Recent world events like Orlando show there is still a need for Pride. While (the parade) is a great celebration, it means a lot more than that and it’s great when we see leaders participating,” said Charmaine De Silva, vice president of the Vancouver Pride Society.
While this year’s parade, scheduled for Sunday, July 31, will mark the first time in the event’s 38-year history that a sitting prime minister has participated, De Silva says previous PMs have always been welcome to attend.
“We haven’t had any interest … although we have had delegations from the governments before,” she said.
Trudeau is also expected to march in Toronto’s Pride Parade on July 3.
WILL PREMIER CLARK ATTEND?
In 2015, the Vancouver Pride Society started requiring all parade participants to sign a pledge supporting federal transgender equality legislation.
The B.C. Liberal Party’s executive refused to sign the pledge. The party maintained that B.C.’s Human Rights Code already protects people who are transgender and “gender-variant” from discrimination, without naming them explicitly.
As a result, neither the provincial party nor Premier Christy Clark marched in last year’s parade.
De Silva says the society would happy to have the premier and other B.C. government officials participate in the parade this year — as long as they sign the pledge.
“Our rules for parade entrance haven’t changed since last year,” said De Silva.
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A young girl reacts as Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau greets spectators while marching in the Vancouver Pride Parade in Vancouver, B.C., on Sunday August 2, 2015. .
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