Justin Trudeau made history on July 3 by marching with tens of thousands of people in Toronto’s Gay Pride parade, becoming the country’s first sitting prime minister to participate.
Thunderous applause greeted Trudeau as he paraded down the main Toronto artery, waving a Canadian maple-leaf flag bordered with a rainbow.
The youthful politician, whose popularity is soaring, donned a salmon-coloured, button-down shirt and white jeans, taking selfies and shaking hands with those lining the parade route. The city tightened security but kept the enhanced measures discreet to maintain a festive spirit.
Toronto police have not released an official attendance count, but organizers had expected one million attendees. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne – Canada’s first openly gay head of a province — and Toronto Mayor John Tory marched alongside Trudeau.