Thousands took part in the Montreal Pride march on Sunday, August 15, 2021. Photo by Dave Sidaway/Montreal Gazette
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Hours before it was scheduled to take place on Sunday, organizers announced the cancellation of Montreal’s pride parade.
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“The lack of sufficient personnel to ensure safety along the route has forced the organizers to cancel the event in agreement with the Montreal Police Department,” Montreal Pride said in a statement on Facebook. Thousands of attendees were expected to make their way downtown for the parade as it traveled east on Boulevard René-Lévesque, from Metcalfe Street to Alexandre deSève St. Other events planned to mark the final day of Montreal Pride, including the closing performance on the esplanade outside Olympic Stadium, will go ahead as planned. At a press conference Sunday, Mayor Valérie Plante said she was surprised by the sudden cancellation of the parade. “I was wearing my pink costume, I couldn’t wait to walk with the people of Montreal in the most important LGBTQAI2+ parade in North America,” she said. “I can’t hide my surprise. I was disappointed to learn in the paper this morning that it won’t happen, within hours of the start.
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“We called the SPVM and the organizers and asked: ‘What’s going on?’ How can it be cancelled, a few hours before the event?” “Let’s let the Pride (parade) organizers give their version, but I can assure you, from the city, if we had been informed earlier, if we knew they didn’t have the means, we would have put our energy into (making it happen ). “I feel disappointment and frustration. I love Pride. I am proud that Montreal is a city that is friendly to the LGBTQAI2+ community. It is unfortunate that we do not celebrate together Montreal’s position as a city of inclusion and diversity.” The last-minute announcement of the parade’s cancellation also drew criticism on social media. “Lack of staff; TODAY did the organization understand?’ asked one commenter on Twitter, noting that organizers had never posted about needing more volunteers in the months leading up to Pride. “Mind-boggling disorganization and mismanagement,” wrote another Twitter user. Montreal’s Pride Parade was canceled due to the pandemic in 2020. In 2021, a scaled-down Pride march was held, with no floats or vehicles.
