If you’ve been keeping an eye on the headlines lately, you’ve probably seen the growing alarm bells coming from Pride organizations across Canada. The message is pretty consistent: “Give us more federal cash, or the festivals are going to shrink.” It’s one of those stories where the headline is designed to get a reaction, but if you actually dig into the details, the story gets a whole lot more complicated.
Let’s start with what’s already on the table. It’s not like Ottawa has been sitting on its hands. In 2024 and 2025 alone, the federal government put up about $3 million specifically for Pride festival security. That includes $1.5 million just this past year, part of a much larger $7.5 million commitment over five years.
Now, to be clear, that money isn’t for the floats or the glitter. It’s targeted. We’re talking about security, insurance, and emergency planning. In some cases, individual festivals are pulling in grants as high as a quarter-million dollars just to cover safety costs. So, we aren’t talking about a community being ignored; we’re talking about organizations saying that even with millions in taxpayer support, it’s still not enough to keep the lights on.
And now, they’re back at the window asking for more. Millions more, in fact.
This brings us to the first uncomfortable question we have to ask: Is this a “Pride” problem, or is it just an “event” problem?
Read my full opinion column in the Western Standard
