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Four provinces – British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario – dedicate certain days, weeks, or months to commemorate certain causes through legislation or ministerial order.[i] Over the years, these provinces have developed quite the calendar. In Manitoba, The Commemoration of Days, Weeks and Months Act includes some odd-sounding commemorations (e.g. Ducks Unlimited Canada Day or Spirit Bear Day), some niche commemorations (e.g. Filipino Heritage Month or Somali Heritage Week) some somber commemorations (e.g. Human Trafficking Awareness Day or Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day), as well as some misguided commemorations (e.g. Two-Spirit and Transgender Day of Visibility).

Now, these commemorations aren’t provincial holidays. But the list proclaims what the province deems worth celebrating and remembering.

If one MLA gets his way, Manitoba will be the first province to add Pride Month as a new official celebration. Introducing his private member’s Bill 234, MLA Blashko said,

“From its roots at the Stonewall riots in 1969 to Winnipeg’s first Pride march in 1987, Pride remains part celebration and part call to action. The Pride Month Act will officially designate June as Pride month in Manitoba, honouring the long history of 2SLGBTQIA+ progress in our province and reaffirming our commitment to a future where every Manitoban, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression feels safe, supported and included.”

While the operative clause of the bill is short (“In each year, the month of June is to be known as Pride Month”), there is a long preamble to the bill that extols the 2SLGBTQIA+ movement:

• WHEREAS the Pride movement is a celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ culture and community that seeks to recognize and promote the history, dignity, equality and visibility of all 2SLGBTQIA+ persons;
• AND WHEREAS an important event in the Pride movement was the Stonewall riots in New York in June of 1969 when gay, lesbian and transgender people fought back against oppression, harassment and hatred, resulting in a spirit of unity, activism and resistance in these communities;
• AND WHEREAS Pride events are political acts of protest that call attention to the historic injustices faced by 2SLGBTQIA+ communities as well as ongoing threats to the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ persons;
• AND WHEREAS the first Pride gathering in Manitoba was held in Winnipeg in 1987 and there are now Pride gatherings in communities across the province;
• AND WHEREAS the term “two-spirit” or “niizh manidoowag” in Ojibwe was adopted by consensus at the third annual Intertribal Native American, First Nations, Gay and Lesbian American Conference held in Winnipeg in 1990 to describe gender-nonconforming Indigenous persons, giving Manitoba a critical place in the history of decolonizing Indigenous queer identity;
• AND WHEREAS Pride Month celebrates the power of acceptance and love while at the same time recognizing the damage caused by homophobia and transphobia throughout history and to the present day;
• AND WHEREAS Pride Month will provide Manitobans an opportunity to learn about the struggle for rights and recognition of 2SLGBTQIA+ persons and to celebrate the achievements, resilience, spirit and diversity of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities;

The bill passed second reading with no debate, 37 to 0. Not a single MLA was willing to oppose it. A majority of MLAs from each party – NDP, Progressive Conservative, and Liberal – voted in favour. Eleven NDP MLAs (32% of their caucus) and eight PC MLAs (40% of their caucus) abstained or were not present. NDP leader Wab Kinew wasn’t present for the vote but the NDP Minister responsible for Gender Equity, Nahanni Fontaine, voted in favour, as did new PC leader Obby Khan and PC Critic for Women and Gender Equity Jodie Byram.

Skipping this vote could mean one of two things: either the MLAs had other priorities that didn’t allow them to be in the chamber at the time, or they were unwilling to make their position on the bill public by voting.

A Christian Response

Orthodox Christianity is clear that identifying and practicing as LGBTQ violates God’s created norms for sex and gender. We should thus not celebrate Pride, as we’ve explained in greater depth. If you live in Manitoba, please take a minute to send an EasyMail to your MLA stating your opposition to Bill 234. No MLA was willing to vote against the legislation, demonstrating that there is a real need for Christians to bring the truth of God’s Word to our elected officials on this issue.

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[i] In British Columbia, MLAs propose these commemorations through legislation and then the responsible minister and lieutenant governor proclaims them each year. In Alberta, ministers have the power to declare commemorations through ministerial order without the permission of the legislature. Ontario and Manitoba simply pass legislation designating certain times of commemoration. No other province that we can find uses legislation or ministerial orders to designate official commemorative days, though other government bodies might track some for educational purposes (e.g. the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission or the Newfoundland & Labrador Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism).