After a rainy morning, bursts of rainbow colour dotted Yonge and College Sts. as Canada’s largest Pride parade kicked off Sunday afternoon.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined in as the parade began the march toward Yonge-Dundas Square around 2 p.m. Trudeau was joined by his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and at least two of their three children. Grégoire Trudeau waved a rainbow flag, one of the symbols of the LGBTQ community.“This is all about including people,” Trudeau told media shortly before the parade began, a temporary tattoo of a sparkling, rainbow maple leaf emblazoned on his cheek.“It’s all about how we celebrate the multiple layers of identities that make Canada extraordinary and strong, and today we celebrate with the entire LGBTQ community.” Trudeau also wished the crowd a happy “Pride Mubarak,” a play on words referring to the end-of-Ramadan celebrations happening in the Muslim community Sunday — celebrations Trudeau honoured with a pair of brightly coloured socks.Trudeau last year became the first sitting prime minister to march in the parade. Also joining this year’s march were First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde, Premier Kathleen Wynne and Toronto Mayor John Tory. Bellegrade became the first in his position to march in Toronto’s Pride Parade. “There were no closets in our teepees,” Bellegarde said earlier in the day, referring to the historic importance of two-spirited people to First Nations communities.“I feel the energy in the air,” Bellegarde said, dressed in a sky blue shirt with rainbow stripes running across his shoulders and chest. He added he was excited to be at his first Pride parade: “The caring. The compassion. The love. The acceptance.”After a brief thunderstorm interrupted the morning celebrations, dark clouds threatened to rain on the parade through the afternoon, with a few drops sprinkling on ...
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