Questions Need Answering on Toronto ‘Pridegate’

Filed Under Homophobia, Politics, Pride Events, WTF? | July 9th, 2009 

I’m not exactly a fan of the Conservative Party of Canada however, I have to admit that I’m feeling a little sorry for The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism) right now.

It must really suck working for a PM that would begrudge a paltry $397,500 to Pride Toronto, a festival that draws tourists and entertainers from all over and brings in reportedly $100 million in direct economic impact to Toronto; especially when other festivals were given $3,000,000 in financial grants. It must also suck not being able to say if you’ve been fired from your post or not; or whether you’ve still got your post but you’re just not allowed to make any decisions anymore. It must also really be galling that the person in your own party, doing all the talking about your sin is a MP doesn’t even have a ministry position. The whole thing smacks of childish vindictiveness with a side dish of homophobia.

So many questions about this curious affair…

The news broke on July 6, when LifeSiteNews, a pro-life, Judeo-Christian principles type of news site, published a story in which Conservative MP Brad Trost claimed that the decision to fund the Toronto Pride event came as a shock to most of the Conservative caucus, including those inside the Prime Minister’s office. From there, Canwest News Service and bloggers picked the story up. Many questions later from the media, there’s still no answers from the PM.

Many Benefited…

The funding in question was part of the Marquee Festival and Events funding program which also funded the Calgary Stampede, the Charlottetown Festival, Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, Le Festival Grand Rire de Québec, Festival international de Jazz de Montréal, International Balloon Festival, Just for Laughs, Luminato Toronto, Ottawa Bluesfest, Québec City’s Summer Festival, Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, Scotiabank Caribana Festival, Shaw Festival, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, TD Canada Trust Ottawa International Jazz Festival, TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.

Tracey Sandilands, Executive Director for Pride Toronto noted: “Pride Toronto went through the same stringent application process as all other recipients and Industry Canada was extremely thorough in checking details before approval was granted. We are proud of the fact that we were successful when judged objectively against the criteria for the grant. The $397,500 that was awarded to Pride was allocated for specific items such as improved access for disabled people, infrastructure spending and top calibre entertainment.”

The Liberals are also wondering out loud…

Does the Prime Minister stand by Minister Ablonczy’s decision to support Pride Week? Or has he removed her from the tourism file?” asked Toronto Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett. “His answer will tell us whether his government supports the promotion and celebration of human rights, or if they’ve adopted new policies that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.”

“Conservative MPs now say the Prime Minister has formally reprimanded Minister Ablonczy for supporting the Pride Festival,” said Montreal Liberal MP Marlene Jennings. “If this isn’t the case, I look forward to obtaining a commitment from the Prime Minister that his government will continue to offer federal support for the Toronto Pride festival and other festivals that celebrate human rights.”

Mr. Harper’s failure to reject Mr. Trost’s comments calls into question whether similar events will now be subject to discriminatory treatment. The status of several outstanding Marquee program funding applications for other Canadian Pride events are now in doubt, given Mr. Trost’s announcement that “the whole tourism program and funding for major tourism events is being reviewed,” as a direct result of the decision to fund the Toronto Pride Festival.

Other organizations have reason to be concerned that this shift in government policy will jeopardize future funding. For example, earlier a $175,000 grant was awarded to the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives. Last year, Toronto’s Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film Festival received $26,000.00, the Winnipeg Gay & Lesbian Film Society received $4,000.00, Reelout Arts Project Inc. received $7,000, the Vancouver Out on Screen Film and Video Society received $32,000.00, and Queer City Cinema Inc received $13,000.

End Thoughts…

Tracey Sandilands, Executive Director for Pride Toronto said in a statement, “Pride Toronto is thrilled to have been able to participate in this program and we believe that the recent success of the festival shows that the funding was justified and the expenditure will prove to be worthwhile. As for the issues surrounding Minister Ablonczy, we have no ability to comment on the workings of government. We appreciate the Minister’s time and attention to this issue, and we wish her well at all times.”

“At best, this is another Conservative MP making rogue, homophobic comments while attacking a cabinet colleague – actions which are grounds for caucus dismissal,” said Vancouver Liberal MP Hedy Fry. “At worst, Mr. Trost is the only MP willing to admit his government’s discriminatory new tourism policy on record. Only Prime Minister Harper can clarify how far this intolerance extends within his government – and he needs to do so now.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, what are your thoughts on this matter? More importantly, what are you going to do about it?

Related News:
- National Post: Tourism Minister loses funding program after grant to gay pride week
- Canada.com: Tourism minister loses job for funding gay parade: MP

Related Links:
- Canadian Tourism Industry – Marquee Tourism Events Program (MTEP)
- MTEP Contributions and Recipients