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A vibrant Unifor contingent marched proudly through downtown Toronto in a strong show of solidarity for all 2SLGBTQIA+ workers during Canada’s largest Pride celebration.
“Unifor is not just here to march, but to show that queer and trans workers are central to our union’s strength. We know that solidarity isn’t symbolic, it’s a contract, a strategy, and a promise,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
This year’s Pride celebrations follow a landmark 25th anniversary of Unifor’s annual Pride Conference in Port Elgin where delegates charted a bold course for the next quarter century of movement and solidarity building.
Toronto’s first Pride parade took place in 1981 during a time when there was a near-total absence of legal protections 2SLGBTQIA+ people under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
While progress has been made, there are still prevailing issues impacting queer and trans workers today, including widespread discrimination, new waves of hate, regressive policies that target trans people, and political scapegoating. These realities, that queer and trans Unifor members raise to all levels of union governance, remind us that the rights we’ve fought for must be continuously defended.
“This march speaks to our ongoing fight for equity and our resistance to anti-2SLGBTQIA+ threats,” said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi. “Unifor members are doing incredible work to create a world free from harassment and discrimination—and our union is building working class solidarity as an effective way to combat hate and foster belonging and acceptance.”
Over the decades, members have advanced the union’s work to support 2SLGBTQIA+ workers by successfully negotiating inclusive benefits, securing equity representatives in workplaces, embedding equity language in contracts, expanding union education, supporting committee work, and fighting back hard against regressive laws and divisive rhetoric.
As flags waved and chants rang through the streets, Unifor made it clear that Pride is a protest and the fight for justice and inclusion continues—with the union there alongside queer and trans workers, every step of the way.
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