By: Farah Chandani | OTH News | Posted: June 03, 2019 08:05 pm
For the second time in a row, Ontario Premier Doug Ford won’t be marching in the Toronto Pride Parade.
Ford’s spokesperson Ivana Yelich released a statement today saying he would not march in the parade because police are barred from participating while wearing their uniform. It also stated he would only attend when the largest municipal police force is allowed to return.
Earlier in January, Pride members voted to keep the ban of uniformed officers in place.
Pride Toronto then expressed in its own statement the disappointment by Ford’s decision.
Pride Toronto’s statement read “Premier Ford is the elected leader for all Ontarians … we all must bring more openness to these important conversations for this community if we are going to move forward.”
The ban took place in 2017 after concerns of racial profiling, and again in 2018, because of the disappearance of men in Toronto’s Church-Wellesley Village.
Spokesperson for Toronto Mayor John Tory’s office said the mayor plans on attending the parade this year as he did for many years.
Apart from Tory who attends the parade on a regular basis, former Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne, who is also openly gay, marched in 2013, making history for being the first sitting premier to take part in this event. As well, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made history by being the first Canadian prime minister to march the pride parade in 2016.
The city’s Pride festival has over 150 groups and organizations set to participate in the parade.
This year the parade will be held on June 23rd.
Comments