With Trump spurring sponsors to ditch Pride Toronto, Canadian companies should step up

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Donald Trump’s malevolent influence is seeping into every corner of Canadian life, including the LGBTQ community.

Pride Toronto announced Wednesday that three major corporate sponsors with operations in both Canada and the United States have cancelled their support for the event, apparently because of the American President’s campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion.

This is dark news for Canada’s LGBTQ community. But it also represents an opportunity for Canadian businesses to defend Canada’s sovereignty by stepping up when more cowardly corporations are stepping back.

And it poses a challenging question for Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives: How do they affirm their opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs, without appearing to be Trump-lite, as their political opponents claim?

Kojo Modeste, executive director at Pride Toronto, told the Toronto Star that the withdrawing companies had said “they will no longer be supporting Pride because their mandate has changed.”

The executive director did not say which corporations had pulled out, because Pride Toronto is hoping to win them back.

There is little doubt the decision was motivated by the American President’s opposition to DEI programs in both the public and private sectors. In response to directives from the White House, corporations from Amazon to Goldman Sachs to McDonald’s and many more have cancelled or scaled back their programs.

But it is one thing for a company to ramp down DEI in the United States. It is another thing to do so in a completely different country.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly said he wants to annex Canada. Obviously, the tariffs he threatens to impose are the greatest challenge we face. But sovereignty also suffers when a company in Canada pulls out of supporting Pride for fear it will offend the American President.

Pride celebrations across Canada could be at risk. Ottawa’s Capital Pride has not received any indication of cancellations yet, executive director Callie Metler told me. But Pride Toronto’s announcement “is certainly raising some alarm bells for us.”

Ms. Metler recognizes that corporations are struggling to adjust to the reality south of the border. “Everyone’s trying to find their footing in this moment.”

But any sure-footed corporation will not let the intolerance and vitriol of the American President influence its commitment to programs and events in Canada.

Top sponsor TD Bank remains committed to Toronto Pride. So do Air Canada, Rogers, Smirnoff and Tim Hortons, according to CBC News. This is an opportunity for Canadian corporations that have not sponsored Pride events in the past to replace those who have pulled out.

It’s true that DEI programs can be too restrictive, leaving white men, in particular, feeling excluded. It is also true that DEI and other social activists sometimes hijack organizations and events.

Some Pride parades last year were blocked or shortened by pro-Palestinian activists, even though the organizations issued statements opposing Israel’s actions in Palestinian territories. Some Pride organizers have banned police forces from showing their support.

All of these actions undermine social consensus. Many would agree with Mr. Poilievre’s description of DEI programs as “garbage.”

But at a time when support for the Conservatives is slipping, and the Liberals are portraying Mr. Poilievre as a Trump wannabe, his opposition to DEI, even as corporations pull out of Pride events for fear of Mr. Trump’s wrath, is a terrible look.

That’s because this isn’t about the role of DEI in the workplace or society. It’s about the ability of this rogue American President to interfere with how we live in Canada, including our celebration of Pride.

What’s next: cancelling Caribana (officially known as the Toronto Caribbean Carnival)?

Mark Carney, the front-running candidate for the Liberal leadership, has his own problems handling Mr. Trump. In this case, it’s the President’s opposition to efforts to fight climate change.

Mr. Carney is co-founder of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), an organization that promotes corporate responsibility in combatting climate change.

But he has been remarkably silent as corporations water down or abandon their commitments now that Mr. Trump is President.

We all need to wake up to the reality that what is happening in the United States right now threatens not only our livelihoods but our Canadian values as well.

If you believe Canada’s sovereignty is not for sale, here’s one way to show it: If you own a business, give your support to Pride in your community. However you identify – gay, straight or whatever – this is a good year to show up at Pride.

I don’t usually attend Capital Pride, not being fond of crowds or parades. But this year, my husband and I will be there for sure.