Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe spoke to reporters on Monday, saying he does not believe an apology to Queers for Palestine is necessary. CTV
Ottawa’s annual Pride parade ended abruptly on Sunday when protesters blocked its path in downtown Ottawa. The demonstration, led by Queers for Palestine – Ottawa, forced organizers to cancel the parade less than two hours after it began.
The mayor refuses an apology
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said Monday he will not apologize to the group.
“I don’t think we want to have a situation where anybody can just block a parade, especially Capital Pride, put a bunch of demands on the table, and the parade doesn’t move forward unless people give in to those demands. I don’t think that’s acceptable,” Sutcliffe told reporters at City Hall.
He added that he did not see an apology as “warranted.”
Protest leads to cancellation
The parade began at 1 p.m. on Elgin Street but stopped on Wellington Street outside Parliament Hill. By 2:14 p.m., organizers said the march was “temporarily delayed.” At 2:40 p.m., Capital Pride announced on Instagram that the parade was cancelled.
More than 175 groups and 6,000 participants had registered for the event.
Protesters explain actions
Emily Quaile, speaking for Queers for Palestine – Ottawa, said the group acted with “the permission” of the grand marshal. Protesters carried signs and issued demands for greater transparency from Capital Pride about its pro-Palestinian values.
“We were there because we are the queer community, not something outside,” Quaile said. She argued that Sutcliffe’s refusal to meet demands directly led to the cancellation.
The group also wanted Sutcliffe to apologize for boycotting last year’s parade after Capital Pride released a pro-Palestinian statement.
“We still don’t have our demands met,” Quaile said. “We have a mayor who is saying that he’s an ally and that he attends the Pride parade every year, but he didn’t come last year. He organized a political protest called a ‘boycott.’”
Mayor stands firm
Sutcliffe defended his decision not to join the 2024 parade, saying he attended other Pride Week events to support Ottawa’s LGBTQ2+ community.
“Last year, the City of Ottawa made a decision, and I made a personal decision not to participate in the Pride parade,” he said. “I am always going to be, and I have always been, a supporter of the community.”
Confusion at the end
Quaile said the cancellation was not their plan. “I was confused and at that point, nothing to do about it,” she explained. “We were already leaving, so I guess it’s their call.”
The parade route was meant to run along Elgin Street, across Wellington past Parliament Hill, before finishing on Kent Street. Many community groups, school boards, and city organizations, including OC Transpo and the National Arts Centre, had planned to march.
