Justin Trudeau raises LGBT flag on Canada’s Parliament Hill to celebrate Pride
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the 2017 Pride Parade in Toronto. (GEOFF ROBINS/AFP/Getty)
For the third year in a row, the rainbow flag has been raised on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to celebrate Pride Month.
On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the rainbow flag above Parliament Hill, in order to mark Canada’s commitment to greater LGBT inclusivity and equality.
Trudeau was joined at the ceremony alongside his LGBTQ2 Special Advisor, Randy Boissonnault.
Boissonnault tweeted about this important event, saying: “Raised the Pride flag on the hill today for the third year in a row!”
The LGBTQ2 advisor to the prime minister also tweeted a picture of himself, with the Canadian Prime Minister and student Ryan Brown.
Boissonnault was asked by the PM to become his advisor on LGBT+ issues in 2016.
(Randy Boissonnault/Twitter)
Part of his responsibilities included preparing Trudeau for last year’s formal apology for the historic treatment of LGBT+ people in Canada.
In April 2016, Boissonnault and his team fought against others in the political sphere to raise the rainbow flag on Parliament Hill for the first time.
On Wednesday, he continued the tradition, even wearing a rainbow tie for the occasion.
Ryan Brown, a young LGBT activist from Ontario, also joined the Canadian PM and his advisor during the flag raising ceremony. He was invited to take part by Trudeau.
Randy Boissonnault at the ceremony (R_Boissonnault/Twitter)
He later took to Twitter to thank the Canadian PM and Boissonnault for being given the opportunity to be a part of Canada’s history.
Brown also tweeted about his local city, Owen Sound, in Ontario, which will be having their first Pride parade this year.
Wednesday’s flag ceremony is the first since Trudeau’s apology to Canadian LGBT+ people last Autumn.
From the 1950s to the early 1990s, the Canadian government lead a campaign known as ‘The Purge,’ which saw LGBT+ employees being fired or intimidated into resignation.
During the apology, Trudeau said that the “unjust” treatment of LGBT+ people in Canada was “our collective shame”
Trudeau on Parliament Hill (SeamusORegan/Twitter)
Canada has demonstrated its commitment to put the past behind them by investing $2.9 million of funding into projects for the Canada’s LGBT+ population.
These projects have included awareness campaigns, advocacy initiatives and other interventions to prevent homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in the Canadian education system.
Wednesday’s ceremony comes just days before the 38th annual Pride Toronto, which will take place on Sunday.
