Nova Scotia premier misses Halifax Pride parade for second consecutive year

Revellers participate in the annual Halifax Pride parade in Halifax on Saturday, July 23, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservative premier was absent from Halifax’s Pride parade over the weekend, marking the second year in a row he missed the largest LGBTQ+ celebration in Atlantic Canada.

Fiona Kerr, executive director of Halifax Pride, said the Progressive Conservatives did not participate in the parade because they were late to register and float spots had filled up.

Catherine Klimek, a spokesperson for Premier Tim Houston’s office, said in an email the PC Party was on the wait-list for Saturday’s parade. When asked if Houston had tried to join another group’s float to take part in the event, she did not directly answer.

Kerr said, “it’s definitely disappointing that he (Houston) did not, or maybe won’t, find other ways to support” Halifax Pride.

“The parade is certainly not the only way for people to engage with the festival and the community, it’s just the easiest. There’s still a week left, however, so you never know,” Kerr said in an email, adding that to her knowledge the premier has not attended any other Halifax Pride events so far this year. The festivities run for 11 days, until July 27.

Klimek did not immediately reply to an email asking whether Houston planned to attend any of the remaining Pride events.

Nova Scotia’s NDP and Liberal parties each participated with a parade float on the weekend, leaving the Progressive Conservatives as the only major political party not represented.

Houston has said he missed last year’s Pride parade because the RCMP had warned of safety issues and potential disruptions from protesters.

In an email Thursday, Klimek said last year the premier “was asked by law enforcement not to attend because they felt that his presence could trigger protests that place innocent bystanders at risk.” Last year, Pride organizers told parade co-ordinators to prepare for the possibility that pro-Palestinian demonstrators might hold up the parade, adding that the LGBTQ+ group fully supports their right to protest.

While police confirmed they gave Houston’s office safety advice, a spokesperson said last year the decision to attend was left up to the premier, and that RCMP would have deployed resources to ensure public safety had he been there.

The last time Houston marched in the parade was in 2022, and the event was cancelled in 2023.

“The premier has attended the Halifax Pride parade in the past, both as premier and as leader of the official Opposition,” Klimek said. She said that while Houston spent Saturday at an annual stock car race in Antigonish, N.S., “he looks forward to again participating in the Halifax Pride parade in the future.”

When Pride kicked off on Thursday, the premier posted about the start of the festivities on his Facebook page saying, “no matter who you love or how you identify, you deserve to live in a province that embraces acceptance, inclusion, and respect.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025.

By Lyndsay Armstrong