Montreal Pride Parade draws record crowd after abrupt cancellation of 2022 event

There was a festive mood across downtown Montreal on Sunday as the city's Pride parade drew a record number of participants one year after the 2022 event was abruptly cancelled.

With pop music, glittery costumes and floats, the colourful event brought Rene-Levesque Boulevard to life at 1 p.m. Businesses, sports organizations, and LGBTQ2S+ community groups all marched in the parade.

Simon Gamache, head of parade organizer Pride Montreal, said around 15,500 people participated in the parade, a record for the event.

"Why are we here today? First of all, because we're proud of who we are, and we want to show that we're proud of who we are. Also, it's because we want to commemorate the struggles and victories of the past, but above all, it's because there is still a lot of injustice towards the LGBTQ2S+ communities, here and elsewhere", said Gamache in a speech just before the parade.

The parade, which closed the 17th edition of the Montreal Pride festival, mobilized 208 employees and 152 volunteers.

Several politicians also participated in the event, including Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who rode in a float alongside popular drag queen Barbada during the parade.

The Pride Parade in Montreal attracted over 15,000 people on Sunday, August 13, 2023. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News)

"Last year, we missed the parade, and now it's back," said the mayor, noting the death on Friday of Roger Thibault, who was among the first same-sex couples in Quebec to enter into a civil union.

"I think it's a reminder of the importance of the parade, (where) not only do we want to celebrate, we want to party, but we also want to remember the battles, and not forget that nothing is won," added Plante.

Nearly 200 groups took part in the Pride Parade, which attracted 15,500 marchers, in Montreal on Sunday, August 13, 2023. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News)

Other politicians who confirmed their attendance at the event include elected representatives of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ): Martine Biron, Pascale Déry, Christian Dubé, Geneviève Guilbault, Ian Lafrenière and Chantal Rouleau.

• IN PHOTOS: Montreal comes alive with pride

Quebec Liberal Party leader Marc Tanguay, Parti québécois MNA Pascal Bérubé, and Quebec solidaire (QS) co-spokesman Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois were also present at the parade. QS was represented by MPs Haroun Bouazzi, Guillaume Cliche-Rivard and Alejandra Zaga Mendez.

Businesses, sports organizations, and LGBTQ2S+ community groups marched in the Pride Parade in Montreal on Sunday, August 13, 2023. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News)

Manon Massé, co-spokesperson for QS, announced on Friday that she could not participate in Pride activities as she is recovering from heart surgery.

On the federal side, Liberal Party ministers Pascale St-Onge and Steven Guilbeault were on hand. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, being on vacation in British Columbia, could not be there. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Alexandre Boulerice, the party's MP for the Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie riding, also took part in the parade.

Several members of the Bloc Québécois caucus took part in the event: Andréanne Larouche, Monique Pauzé, Mario Beaulieu, Gabriel Ste-Marie and Luc Désilets.

Many participants waved LGBTQ2S+ flags at the Pride Parade in Montreal on Sunday, August 13, 2023. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News)

WALK TO CELEBRATE, REMEMBER

The sidewalks lining René-Lévesque Boulevard were packed with thousands of Pride-goers basking in the sunshine.

"Every year (Pride) is a time for me to remember how far I've come in the past few years and how grateful and lucky I am to be able to love the people I want to love today," said Aricia Roy, as she marched in the parade.

For Rhys Forgie, it was important to take part in the Pride celebrations at a time when hateful messages towards the LGBTQ2S+ community circulate on social media and in some media outlets.

"Once I accepted who I was, my world opened up. And honestly, I feel so much happier now," he says. We have to show the world that we're here, that we're proud and that we're happy."

People take in the Pride Parade from a Montreal rooftop on Sunday, August 13, 2023. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News)

This year's event had a special significance for Evens Kaibangou, as it was the first he attended as a trans man.

"It's important for me to see people like me, that we can come together," he said.

The parade was also an opportunity for community organizations to get their message out, including GRIS-Montréal, whose mission is to educate the public about sexual and gender diversity.

"This kind of event allows us to meet the general public in ways other than through the schools, which is what we usually do," says Marie Houzeau, Executive Director of GRIS. "We're often an invisible minority, and today we can make ourselves visible, be proud of who we are, and share it with the world."

There was no shortage of colourful and elaborate costumes at the Pride Parade in Montreal on Sunday, August 13, 2023. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News)

Last year's Pride Parade was cancelled with only a few hours notice, initially justified by the organization as "a lack of volunteers." Instead, it was a misunderstanding between two of the organization's employees that led to the parade's cancellation, an investigation revealed in October 2022.

Disappointed parade-goers took part in citizen marches and other spontaneously organized events.

At a press conference at the end of July, Fierté Montréal promised that "everything is in place" for the parade to take place this year. To avoid another cancellation, the organization has reviewed its governance and operations.