SYDNEY, N.S. — Cape Breton Regional Police officers will walk in the community's Pride parade this year, police and parade organizers announced today.
Their joint statement says police and Pride Cape Breton have "fostered a strong, progressive working relationship," and that the police force has "absolutely zero tolerance for discrimination."
Pride Cape Breton's decision comes after other pride organizations throughout Canada asked police not to attend their annual parades.
Toronto Pride voted to remove police floats and uniformed officers from their parade earlier this year.
Halifax Regional Police announced they won't attend the city's event this year, while St. John's Pride confirmed that police are welcome.
This year's Cape Breton parade is scheduled for Aug. 5, 2017.
"We take our duty to protect very seriously, including and especially those in our society who are sometimes marginalized because of narrow mindedness and uniformed thinking," Cape Breton Chief Peter McIsaac says in the joint statement.
Patrick MacNeil, co-chair of Pride Cape Breton, says the decision was made in collaboration with members of marginalized groups including Black Lives Matter, the group that prompted the Toronto Pride edict.
"Pride Cape Breton Society has worked to hear both sides of the argument to remove police and uniforms from our festival," MacNeil says in the joint statement.
"Our hope is that during the 2017 Pride Festival, we can acknowledge the existence of discrimination and violence against minority groups while setting a precedent for inclusion and protection of all people."
