Pride Day on the Hill
GilbertBaker(June2, 1951–March31, 2017) was an American artist, gay rights activist, and designer of the rainbow flag (1978). Baker's flag became widely associated with LGBT rights causes, a symbol of gay pride that has become ubiquitous in the decades since its debut. California state senator Scott Wiener said Baker “helped define the modern LGBT movement”.
On Thursday, February 7th, Pride organizers from across the country descended on Ottawa for Pride on the Hill in advance of the 2019 Fierté Canada Pride Conference & AGM. Over the day, meetings were setup with 34 Members of Parliament to talk about ways the federal government could increase support for Prides and LGBT2Q+ communities nationally. The main focus of the meetings was to discuss the creation of dedicated national Pride fund, within the Department of Canadian Heritage, that could help support the over 125 Prides that happen in every province and territory in Canada. Currently, federal funding for Pride festivals is hard to access, especially for those organizations outside Canada’s largest cities. Fierté Canada Pride estimates that in 2018, 6.5 million Canadians participated in various Pride events throughout the year. In addition to the national Pride fund, there were also requests made to create a national project fund to support the development of LGBTQ2+ community and resource centres either within the Department of Women & Gender Equality or Employment & Social Development Canada. Also, there were requests to strengthen the role of the LGBTQ2 Secretariat and its ability to engage with Canadians overall.
Andrew Rosser - President, Pride London Festival; Heather Hay - President, Fierté Canada Pride; Karen Vecchio - MP, Elgin- Middlesex-London; Joe Wickenhauser - Secretary, Fierté Canada Pride
Pride London Festival President Andrew Rosser, along with representatives from Fierté Canada Pride, met with MP Kate Young (London West), MP Peter Fragiskatos (London North Centre) and MP Karen Vecchio (Elgin-Middlesex-London). Pride Day on the Hill was followed by the largest national Pride conference ever held, with over 200 delegates from across Canada attending. The conference concluded with the first ever “WinterPride” march on Parliament Hill.
Delegation at the 2019 Fierté Canada Pride Conference & AGM in Ottawa, ON. WinterPride Photos: Courtesy of Fierté Canada Pride
PRIDE Villager
Page 2 Issue 2 • Spring 2019
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