Greens in the Ottawa-Gatineau area have a spot in the Capital Pride Parade and a table at the Pride Info Fair. Both are on Sunday Aug 26. Both will be fun (guaranteed). Both need volunteers like you to come out and be proud! And no, you don’t need to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered to participate – you just need to believe we all deserve equality.

Frank de Jong, leader of the Green Party of Ontario, will be joining us for the parade. So will local Green candidates including federal candidate Dr. Qais Ghanem (Ottawa South) and provincial candidates John Ogilvie (Carleton-Mississippi Mills), Leonard Poole (Ottawa-Vanier), and Ottawa Centre’s own Greg Laxton. Read more to find out how to participate.

GREEN: PROUD MEMBER OF RAINBOWS EVERYWHERE!

Pride Week in Ottawa is Fri Aug 17 – Sun Aug 26. Join an estimated 30,000 gays, lesbians, bisexuals, trans-identified, intersexed, two-spirited, queer and questioning people and their allies to celebrate Capital Pride 007: Pride is Forever (www.prideottawa.com).

The Green Party defends equality, human rights, and other issues that affect both the Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgendered-Queer (GLBTQ) and non-GLBTQ communities. At the national level we defend same-sex marriage (marriage is a human right, not a heterosexual privilege). At the local level we protested the removal of Capital Xtra newspapers from community centres this Spring (read about it here). We also advocate Ottawa’s Safer Inhalation Program which Ottawa’s Chief Medical Officer suggests reduced the transmission of HIV and Hepatitis C among crack users (press release soon to come on this issue).

Join us in two Pride events on Sunday Aug 26:

1. Pride Parade (1:00 – about 2:15). Candidates, the provincial party leader Frank de Jong, and volunteers like you from Ottawa-Gatineau federal and provincial Green Party associations will walk together and distribute Pride-specific Green Party memorabilia. Click here to see the parade route, including our meeting place on “old� Wellington Street (access is off the most westerly end of Albert Street or from Commissioner Street). Please wear Green Party clothing, or else green, gold, or white colours (no red, blue, or orange). Be creative (but not offensive) in your dress, and feel free to bring signs or banners advertising your local Green Party association. No matter who you are, join us. Believe me – it’s going to be fun!

2. Pride Info Fair (2:00 – 7:00 Festival Plaza, Ottawa City Hall). We have a table booked at which we will distribute party information to curious citizens. Come sit at the table to help out (and listen to the outdoor festival at the same time).

Let’s show our support of the GLBTQ community, invite members of the community to learn about our party, and have a lot of fun in the process!

IF YOU WANT TO JOIN THE PARADE OR INFO-FAIR, PLEASE E-MAIL ME:

Jay Fitzsimmons
fitzsimmons10@yahoo.ca
Secretary, Ottawa Centre GPC
Green Pride coordinator 2007

PS: Many thanks to the Toronto Greens for their cooperation. We are largely copying how they organized the Green entry in the Toronto Pride Parade, because their model was so successful.