Capital Pride Parade cancelled after protesters blocked route in downtown Ottawa

The group Queers for Palestine blocked the Capital Pride parade just over an hour after it began, forcing organizers to cancel the event. CTV’s Natalie Van Rooy

Ottawa’s annual Pride parade was cancelled shortly after it began Sunday afternoon, when protesters blocked the route near Parliament Hill.

In a brief statement on its Instagram account, Capital Pride announced at 2:40 p.m. the “Capital Pride Parade is cancelled.”

The group Queers for Palestine – Ottawa (Q4P) said it halted the marquee event of Capital Pride “with the permission” of the grand marshal and issued a list of demands.

“Q4P-O and our coalition are demanding transparency with the community from Capital Pride about their values, and about the specific pressures and threats that have forced their Palestine solidarity values back into the closet,” the statement said.

Queers for Palestine – Ottawa is also “demanding that elected officials who boycotted Capital Pride last year apologize and commit publicly to marching with us without conditions.”

“We are the Village – and if you stand with us, that means standing with Palestine and with all oppressed people.”

The theme for this year’s Capital Pride is “We Are the Village,” with organizers saying it is a “celebration of our Ottawa-Gatineau 2SLGBTQ+ community, one that recognizes the historical and current, public and private, urban and natural spaces that we call home.”

In 2024, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and several organizations and groups pulled out of Capital Pride events after organizers issued a statement expressing solidarity with Palestinians.

The Capital Pride statement last year condemned “in the strongest possible terms,” the Hamas terrorist attack in October 2023, and also pledged to “recognize the ongoing genocide against Palestinians” in opening remarks at 2024 Capital Pride Festival signature events, among other commitments.

The statement was removed from Capital Pride’s website.

“We had staged a disruption of the parade to say our demands to both Capital Pride’s executive director and board of directors and to the mayor,” Emily Quaile of Queers for Palestine Ottawa told CTV News Ottawa.

“We were looking for apologies from the mayor, in particular, for boycotting last year and for encouraging other powerful institutions to boycott the parade. This year he is back, even though Capital Pride says their values articulated in last year’s statement are still valid. And we asked the mayor to come up and apologize to us and hear from us, the community …. that we stand in solidarity with Palestine and to participate in a Queer march isn’t for his political gain. It’s to support us and if we support Palestine as we do, then he needs to get on board with that.”

Capital Pride organizers issued a statement on social media Sunday evening about the “unexpected cancellation” of the Pride parade. Officials said they had “several meetings” with Queers for Palestine – Ottawa and other community groups to discuss “the issues that are important to them.”

“Unfortunately, the group refused to have a meaningful discussion about how to move forward. After over an hour of attempting to resolve the stoppage, it became clear that Q4P was unwilling to engage in a good faith conversation and was insistent on misrepresenting our discussions,” Capital Pride said.

“Rerouting the parade mid-way was not possible and the street closures for the parade route were only permitted to 4 p.m. Given the constraints we were facing and the nature of the discussion with Q4P, we were left with no choice than to cancel the remainder of the parade.”

In a statement posted on Instagram just after 4 p.m., Mayor Sutcliffe said it was “deeply regrettable that a group of activists chose to block the parade, ultimately leading Capital Pride officials to cancel the event.”

“My heart goes out to the many people in our city who were deprived of the opportunity to participate in this celebration of joy, resilience, and community,” Sutcliffe said.

“At a time when 2SLGBTQIA+ rights are under attack around the world, it’s critical to show our solidarity with the community and honour all those who have achieved hard-won progress on equal rights. Ottawa should always be a place of inclusion, where everyone feels welcome. Let’s continue to work together for a better city, for everyone.”

Sutcliffe said he was “proud to join our community in celebrating Capital Pride” at events all week.

“I attended the Pride parade today with friends, colleagues and family members, as I have for many years. Both as a private citizen, and now as Mayor, I believe it is important to show my support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and for the principles advocated by Capital Pride,” the mayor said.

The Labour for Palestine Ottawa and Queers for Palestine - Ottawa organized a rally for Confederation Park at 12 p.m., called “The Village Stands with Palestine.”

The Capital Pride Parade began at 1 p.m. at Elgin Street and Laurier Avenue. The parade was scheduled to travel north on Elgin Street to Wellington Street and then west on Wellington Street past Parliament Hill to Kent Street.

Organizers said at 2:14 p.m. that the Pride parade was “temporarily delayed,” before announcing at 2:40 p.m. that the “Capital Pride Parade is cancelled.”

Organizers said 175 groups and more than 6,000 people registered to participate in the Capital Pride Parade.

Several groups were participating in the Pride Parade, including Ottawa councillors, OC Transpo, the National Arts Centre and school boards.

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With files from CTV News Ottawa’s William Eltherington