Edmonton Garrison hosts first Pride march at Canadian Forces base
Canadian Forces history was made in Edmonton Friday as soldiers, family, and friends marched together in the first Pride parade at a military base.
Military members waved Pride flags, and tanks and trucks were decorated with Pride memorabilia as they moved through Canadian Forces Base Edmonton.
Maj. John McDougall joined the Canadian Armed Forces in the early 90s when the military prohibited people who identified as gay from serving.
"I used to have to put on two uniforms," McDougall said. "I'd put on my military uniform, and then I'd put on my 'straight John uniform.'"
"The military police and RCMP came knocking on my door and arrested me for being gay," he added. "I look back at that time as a marker. That's where we were. Events like that are what lead to events like today."
That ban would be lifted in 1992. Today, McDougall says he holds no animosity or hatred towards the military.
"Now I get to wear just one uniform," McDougall said. "A uniform that says we're inclusive, we're welcoming. We want this to be a safe place for anyone that wants to be a member of the Canadian Armed Forces."
Master Sailor Antoine Lavoie, co-chair of the Defense Team Pride Advisory Organization (DTPAO), said starting a base-wide Pride parade means the world for members of the LGBTQ2S+ community.
"To be honest, it felt kind of crazy and surreal that I was actually in uniform marching on a base, and I was welcome," Lavoie said. "The support was tremendous."
For McDougall, the past few years of not being allowed to participate in other Edmonton Pride events or parades and the pandemic proved difficult for many queer service members.
Now a DTPAO champion, McDougall shared how Friday marked the third 'first' of his military career, including marching in the first Pride parade in Toronto allowing armed forces members, and raising the Pride flag at the Edmonton Garrison in 2013.
"Today, I cannot define how I feel. My buttons are going to burst off my shirt; my chest is so big," he added.
"We can put out policy, but we can't make people be inclusive, and these people are here because they choose to be part of our family."
Col. Rob McBride, 3rd Canadian Division Support Group commander, said he was humbled to take part in the march.
"I've been in the military now for 29 years, and I can say during that 29 years, we've come leaps and bounds ahead of where we were," he said. "The inclusivity now, the strength that that inclusivity brings to the defence team is truly phenomenal.
"Without being an inclusive organization, there's no way we'd be able to be as prepared and as ready as we are for the operations we have to partake in."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.