Liberals pull out of Ottawa Pride parade over anti-Israel statement made by organizers

The Canadian Press / Sean Kilpatrick

The Liberal Party has announced that it will withdraw from the annual Ottawa Pride parade after the group running the parade aligned themselves with the anti-Israel movement.

The federal political party's move came after several embassies, civil servants, and local organizations pulled out of the event.

"In light of recent decisions made by the Capital Pride board, the Liberal Party has decided not to participate in Capital Pride events this year, and instead will host our own event to celebrate Ottawa's 2SLGBTQI+ communities," said Liberal Party spokesperson Parker Lund in a statement.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has previously taken part in various pride parades in Ottawa along with other high-profile politicians. This year, though, groups are announcing that they are pulling out of the parade.

This all comes after Capital Pride, the group responsible for the Ottawa parades, issued a statement expressing solidarity with Palestinians and accused the Israeli government of “pink washing” the Israel-Hamas war. They say that Israel was using its record on LGBTQ2S+ inclusivity as a way to “draw attention away” from its actions in Gaza.

“By portraying itself as a protector of the rights of queer and trans people in the Middle East, Israel seeks to draw attention away from its abhorrent human rights abuses against Palestinians. We refuse to be complicit in this violence. Indeed, to withhold our solidarity from Palestinians in the name of upholding 2SLGBTQIA+ rights betrays the promise of liberation that guides our work. We join our voice to the calls for greater protection of civilians and reject any attempts to use a devastating conflict as a pretext to advance hate,” the group wrote in its statement.

Despite praise from organizations like Queers4Palestine Ottawa for Capital Pride's commitment to boycotting Israeli companies, the decision sparked significant backlash from Jewish residents and advocacy groups, including B'nai Brith Canada and the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.

The New Democratic Party of Canada still plans to attend the Capital Pride event, stating its intent is to show people, "especially young 2SLGBTQ people, in Ottawa and across the country that we see them and support them."

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"The NDP has been absolutely unequivocally clear in our position on the Israel-Hamas war. We continue to advocate vocally for a ceasefire, for the safe return of all hostages, for humanitarian aid, and for actions that will bring justice, peace and safety for everyone in the region," a spokesperson said in a statement to CTV.