The Manitoba Prime Minister has apologized after Pride Winnipeg accused him of using the demonstration as a photo shoot and of rejecting the parade. Despite apologies, Pride says the prime minister will not be welcome again.
Prime Minister Heather Stefanson was one of the leaders who spoke at the 2022 Pride Demonstration outside the Manitoba legislature on Sunday. However, Pride Winnipeg says after her speech, the Prime Minister left the event and did not enter the parade.
Barry Karlenzig, president of Pride Winnipeg, said the organization has an established policy that expects all speakers at the rally to enter the parade, which the prime minister’s office confirmed three times.
“Not only has he returned his word to our board, but also to our 2SLGBTQ + community. We will not allow this to happen again,” Karlenzig said in a press release.
Pride Winnipeg apologized to the Prime Minister for what he called “a great disrespect for our community.”
“Pride Winnipeg will not allow the current government to use the annual Pride Demonstration as a photo shoot, or take up space at our community events without walking beside us to really show full support for our community,” he said. the organization in the statement.
The prime minister apologized on Thursday for not marching, saying she did not realize there was a requirement to be at the parade.
“I was never told it was a requirement to speak at the rally. I would never want to disrespect anyone and I am sorry if I did not respect that,” Stefanson told reporters on Thursday.
He said the parade was lost due to a scheduling conflict and poor communication between his staff and Pride organizers.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office told CTV News that Stefanson had attended two other events that day: the “LOVE YOU Run for Women” event from 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. and a community event at the Community Center Maples hosted by the Maples Seniors Indo-Canadian Society from noon to 2 p.m.
The rally was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and the parade began at 11 p.m. Stefanson said he did not want to attend any part of the parade and leave early, as he thought it would be disrespectful.
“I participated in the demonstration; I participated and participated because I sincerely support the two-spirit LGBTQ + community,” he said. “I apologize to all Manitobans. I apologize to those who have been offended as a result. I think it was a bad communication. I want to make sure we try to get this relationship back.”
Stefanson said his office has contacted Pride Winnipeg and will meet with the organization to resolve it.
However, Pride Winnipeg said he would not invite the prime minister to speak at any Pride 2023 event, including the demonstration.