Ottawa’s pride parade cancelled after pro-Palestinian protest blocks route

Ottawa’s annual pride parade was cancelled this year after pro-Palestinian protestors organized a rally at the same time as the parade.

A video posted to Ottawa division of the advocacy group Queers for Palestine’s social media explains the protest was a response to Capital Pride’s refusal to express solidarity with Palestine and elected officials attending without apologizing for last year’s boycott.

Lead Negotiator for Q4P, Emily Quaile says Capital Pride is misrepresenting their negotiations.

“We had agreed to leave the parade,” Quaile says, adding that the group was in the process of asking the group to disperse when the parade was cancelled.

Quaile also says that the Capital Pride Grand Marshall had “invited” them to “join them at the front of the parade,” and that Capital Pride was a part of the planning process of the protest.

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The video also took aim at the Ottawa Mayor, Mark Sutcliffe, saying he had “two choices,” to either leave and not express his support of the group or to apologize for last year’s boycott and understand that they were asked to be at the parade.

“Both as a private citizen, and now as Mayor, I believe it is important to show my support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and for the principles advocated by Capital Pride,” Sutcliffe says in response to the cancellation of the parade.

I was proud to join our community in celebrating Capital Pride throughout this week at events across the city, including the flag raising at City Hall.

I attended the Pride parade today with friends, colleagues and family members, as I have for many years. Both as a private…

— Mark Sutcliffe (@_MarkSutcliffe) August 24, 2025

Capital Pride shared a statement in 2024 saying they stand with Palestinians, a move which Israeli advocacy groups, including the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, called “antisemitic.”

Many elected officials and groups boycotted last year’s parade following the statement.

Capital Pride has since removed the statement from their website in an “update.”

With files from the Canadian Press.

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