Liberal Party of Canada joins growing list backing out of Capital Pride

More groups including the Liberal Party of Canada have chosen not to participate in events organized by Capital Pride in Ottawa this year in response to a pro-Palestinian statement issued by the organization earlier this month.

On Aug. 6, Capital Pride put out a letter stating it was "concerned by the rising tide of antisemitism and Islamophobia" in Canada. Organizers condemned both the terrorist act committed on Oct. 7 and the "endless and brutal campaign in Gaza," which it said is causing the deaths of "innocent Palestinians — many of whom have friends, families and loved ones in our communities."

Capital Pride also issued four commitments: integrating the Palestinian BDS National Committee's boycott list, hosting a "Queer Arab Showcase" during the festival, noting the "ongoing genocide" in certain speeches and calling for a permanent ceasefire.

More groups back out

On Monday, the Liberal Party of Canada told CBC in an email that it will not participate in Capital Pride events this year.

"The Liberal Party has a proud history of standing up for 2SLGBTQI+ rights, and we will continue to be unwavering in our fight to build a more equal and inclusive Canada for everyone," a spokesperson wrote.

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who announced last week that he will not attend any Capital Pride events, told CBC that he agrees with the Liberal Party's decision.

The Public Service Pride Network (PSPN) has told CBC by email that it will not march in the Pride parade this year because it "wants to focus on inclusive, safe and people-centred events that celebrate our pride in our 2SLGBTQIA+ communities." 

And the Montfort Hospital wrote in a French-language statement that it has also chosen not to participate in what would have been the hospital's first year marching in the parade.

"We couldn't wait to participate in the Pride parade," wrote Dominic Giroux, president and CEO of Montfort. "However, given recent developments, we are postponing our participation to a future edition." 

French Catholic school board Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE) has also decided not to march in the parade after participating for the past six years.

"Participating in this parade, in the current context, could send a message contrary to our principles and our unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion," a spokesperson wrote.

The following organizations and individuals have told CBC they will not participate in this year's Capital Pride parade:

• Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.
• Liberal Party of Canada.
• Public Service Pride Network.
• The Montfort Hospital.
• Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est.
• The Ottawa Hospital.
• Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
• Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
• Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario.
• University of Ottawa.

But Donna Blackburn, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board trustee, disagrees with her director's choice not to attend. 

It "sends the wrong message" to 2SLGBTQ+ and Muslim members of their community to completely back out, she said, whether or not they agree with Capital Pride's position.

"One year, [Capital Pride] said that members of the Ottawa Police Service could not wear their uniforms. I thought that was a stupid thing to say, I thought it was a ridiculous position to take," she said. "But it didn't dawn on any of us not to march because they said that."

Hosting their own events instead

Many of the groups that have pulled out of events organized by Capital Pride have stated they plan to host their own events instead. 

Of the groups that dropped out most recently, the Liberal Party of Canada and the PSPN have promised to hold their own events. CHEO, eastern Ontario's children's hospital in Ottawa, also said it would hold its own events when it dropped out last week.

When The Ottawa Hospital dropped out, it wrote to CBC that it would "continue to have discussions" with its 2SLGBTQ+ community about other ways to "support and celebrate" them throughout the year.

The mayor recently told CBC that even though he will not participate in Capital Pride events, he would still attend Pride events organized by the City of Ottawa. Sutcliffe attended a Pride flag-raising ceremony in Stittsville last week that was not organized by Capital Pride.

'What Pride is all about'

On Monday, Sutcliffe raised the Pride flag at the Mary Pitt Centre in Nepean with Somerset Ward Councillor Ariel Troster.

WATCH | Mark Sutcliffe and Ariel Troster raise the Pride Flag at the Mary Pitt Centre

Pride flag goes up at Mary Pitt Centre amid Capital Pride controversy

3 months ago

Duration 0:51

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says that despite controversy over a pro-Palestine statement released by Capital Pride, he still sees a “sense of unity around the objectives of Pride.”

"What I do sense in the community is a strong sense of unity around the objectives of Pride, around the movement over many, many years," he said.

"I think it's great to see that enthusiasm and that support. It sparked some conversations, some important conversations about what Pride is all about, and I think that's a healthy thing." 

Capital Pride's statement wasn't surprising to Michael Bueckert, the vice president for Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, a national advocacy group.

He said Pride has always been political and noted other Pride festivals across the country have also made a statement or participated in a boycott.

Capital Pride is responding to "community pressures" by integrating the boycott, which "takes a lot of courage," Bueckert said.

"For such a mainstream and important institution to take a stand like this, a lot of people really see this as Capital Pride leading the way," he said. 

Bueckert said he felt Capital Pride's statement has been unfairly tagged as exclusionary when he saw it as quite the opposite. 

He worried other groups might shy away from taking similar stances given the backlash.

"I think the purpose of that is to discourage other groups from taking a similar step. But I think broadly speaking people see that what's happening in Palestine is wrong. They want Canada to be the voice for peace and for justice."

The Capital Pride parade is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 25.