Police in uniform barred from marching in Kamloops Pride parade

Mounties will not be permitted to march in uniform in the Kamloops Pride Parade this summer.

Last week, Kamloops Pride made the announcement on social media, citing "varied and impassioned beliefs regarding RCMP participation in pride parades."

"This was a joint decision we came to with the RCMP," Kamloops Pride president Kirstin McLaughlin told CBC Daybreak Kamloops host Shelley Joyce.

McLaughlin said the decision was not made specifically because of the relationship between Kamloops RCMP and the city's LGBT community, but because of the ongoing conversations about pride and police across North America.

Pride parade organizers in Regina, Vancouver and Toronto have also banned police from marching in uniform this year.

"Pride parades were born out of resistance to the criminalization of homosexuality," McLaughlin said.

"There was tension between police and community members."

McLaughlin said she has heard from members on both sides of the issue — some who would feel safer without police attending in uniform and others who are upset about the arrangement.

The city's first annual pride parade was in August 2017, and RCMP did not march in the parade in uniform that year. However, officials from both sides say they have had regular discussions about this since last year's inaugural event.

Cpl. Jodi Shelkie with Kamloops RCMP,  the police liaison for Kamloops Pride, said that while police will not be marching, they will be providing security and policing services for the event.

"We really respect the decision that we shouldn't be in [the parade], taking into account the controversy that's happened in other communities across Canada with other police departments, not just the RCMP, but other police departments participating in pride parades," she said.

"We support members and employees who want to participate in any pride event."

Kamloops Pride has hired another company to provide traffic control.

Social media backlash

A number of people took to social media to express their displeasure with the announcement, including Kamloops MP Cathy McLeod, who voiced her disappointment with the decision on Twitter.

"I respect this is your event Kamloops Pride Society but admit am sorry to hear this," she wrote.

Alternatively, some people were supportive of the decision.

"These issues are mighty complex, and knee-jerk reactions on social media need to be tempered by humility and willingness to learn about the layered nuances behind the headlines," Kamloops Coun. Kathy Sinclair commented.

McLaughlin said this decision will not change before the parade on Aug. 26, but there is a chance that police will be included in the event in the future.

"We have more work to do before we actually make a decision about this," she said.

Shelkie said RCMP want to march in the event in uniform in support of the LGBT community but wants everyone involved to be comfortable with their participation.

"We want to participate in it in the future, when it's the right time for us, and we look forward to that," Shelkie said.

With files from Daybreak Kamloops

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