Justin Trudeau to salute Steinbach Pride parade participants

Prime Minister Justin Trudeauis expected to throw his support behind Steinbach's first Pride parade this weekend.

Organizers for the event posted the following message on their Facebook page:

Trudeau became Canada's first sitting prime minister to march in a Pride parade when he joined marchers in Toronto on July 3.

Organizers of the Steinbach event havefaced obstacles, including problems securing a permit and a lack of support from leaders in the province'sthird-largest city.

Many politicianshave said they will not attend the march Saturday morning, and some residents of the socially conservative cityhave beenvocal in their opposition.

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Conservative MP Ted Falk, Mayor Chris Goertzen and MLA Kelvin Goertzen have said they are not going. The mayor and city council also released awritten statement that they would not endorse the event.

Steinbachis in an area known as Manitoba's Bible belt, and a number ofresidents havecited their Christian beliefsas a reason for refusing to backthe march, although some Christians have expressed support.

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The media attention and opposition has galvanized support for the event. Initially, organizers expected 200 people to attend, but theynow estimate1,000 people will come, many from other locations in Canada and the United States.

The controversy haseven caught the attention of Canadian indie pop stars Teganand Sara, who also stated their support for the event.