RCMP officers' attendance at Yukon Pride event was intimidating, group says

A Yukon LGBTQ group says it's sticking with its policy that RCMP uniforms and symbols are "not welcome" at Pride events, after hackles were raised by two officers attending a flag-raising ceremony last month.

On July 31, two uniformed RCMP officers watched the Progress Pride Flag being raised outside the Yukon Legislative Assembly in Whitehorse.

The officers' presence at the ceremonial event amounted to intimidation, according to the advocacy group Queer Yukon. The group has contacted the RCMP, Yukon's justice minister, the territory's MP and commissioner to express its concerns. It has also published what it calls a "community alert."

"Visible police presence at the event caused confusion, anxiety and a sense of intimidation for some community members who were there," reads the statement issued on Sunday.

Queer Yukon has helped organize Pride events in Yukon since 2013. In the past, Yukon officers took part in Pride events, wearing rainbow T-shirts with an RCMP logo, instead of uniforms.  

This year, Queer Yukon's four-person board of directors voted for a change. On July 31 the board published a statement saying that "any visible police presence is not welcome at the Yukon Pride festival." Emily Tredger, board president at Queer Yukon, said the statement was written by Queer Yukon and was approved unanimously.

This includes any symbol "associated with the RCMP and other police forces," the statement reads.

Tredger said the decision was informed by a long and painful history.

"There is a long, violent, discriminatory history with the police and how they deal with the queer and trans communities. We want everyone to feel safe at our events. We know that if there's police there in uniform, some people are not going to feel safe," she said.

Queer Yukon says it had raised its concerns with police prior to last month's flag raising in Whitehorse, and had been told police agreed not to attend.

"When someone agrees not to do something and then does it anyway, that is inherently intimidating," Tredger said.

'One of those awkward moments': RCMP

Yukon RCMP Chief Supt. Scott Sheppard was one of two officers who attended the event. He has apologized to organizers, through a letter which RCMP shared with CBC.

Sheppard wrote that he and another officer were at the Legislative Assembly setting up for another press conference that was happening the same morning.

Sheppard wrote that officers knew of Queer Yukon's new policy but were invited that day to attend the flag raising by Yukon's minister of justice.

"This was quite simply one of those awkward moments and we both attended," Sheppard writes.

"In hindsight, it would have been better to have taken the time at that moment to better inform the minister in perhaps stronger language we were not invited for a variety of reasons but I did not. That is my responsibility and I apologize," Sheppard wrote.

Justice Minister Tracey-Anne McPhee has also apologized.

In a letter to Tredger on Friday, McPhee said she had been unaware of Queer Yukon's earlier discussions with RCMP about attending the event.

"Had I known of your decision, I would never have invited the RCMP officers to join me. I deeply regret that my effort at inclusion detracted from what I thought was a powerful and important celebration of Yukon's LGBTQ2S+ community," McPhee wrote.

RCMP 'broke our agreement,' group says 

Tredger says the RCMP officers should have stayed away from the flag raising, or changed into civilian clothes.

"They blatantly broke our agreement and came to a Pride event in uniform without our consent ... We just hope they're going to reflect on what happened and why we made that decision in the first place," she said.

The Yukon Pride Festival wrapped up Aug. 9. Tredger says there were no other incidents regarding police relations during this year's festival.

Tredger says Queer Yukon will "continue to listen to community members and take direction" on its policy.

She said there has been no response to the policy from either the City of Whitehorse or the Yukon government, both of which help fund Yukon Pride.