Justin Trudeau made history on Sunday afternoon when he marched in Canada’s largest Pride parade. It was the first time a sitting prime minister has marched in the annual Toronto Pride parade.
Trudeau drew loud cheers from the tens of thousands of people who line the parade route but he downplayed his appearance at the parade as no big deal. He noted that he had been attending Pride parades for years, including a highly publicized appearance last summer.
"It shouldn't be a big thing that a prime minister's walking a Pride parade, and from now on it won't," he said.
Other politicians who marched in the parade included Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Toronto Mayor John Tory, Green Party leader Elizabeth May and Rona Ambrose, interim leader of the federal Conservatives.
The parade also paid tribute to last month’s Orlando attack victims, with participants holding banners of names and ages of those killed in the horrifying attack. The parade also observed a moment of silence at 3pm.
The parade wrapped up a month of Pride festivities that have taken over Toronto. Toronto’s first Pride Month saw a host of events take place across the city, from panel discussions about human rights to big name concerts, all in support of the LGBTQ communities.
