Downtown Moncton’s Main Street was packed with people Saturday afternoon as the River of Pride Parade rolled through the City’s centre.
“More and more people are supporting us,” said Charles MacDougall, the parade’s Media and Public Relations Coordinator. “More people realize that homophobia and transphobia doesn’t have a place in Moncton and doesn’t have a place in our world.”
The parade which ran from Foundry Street to Mechanic Street and ended with a celebration at Riverfront Park was attended by hundreds of citizens while hundreds more marched in support.
Many are calling it the biggest one in their history.
“I’ve walked in a lot of pride parades over the years in different cities and in Moncton a lot,” said Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold. “I’ve never seen anything like this before it’s really quite incredible.”
Premier Brian Gallant took part in the parade and says the support shown by residents is indicative of the people who call New Brunswick home.
“I think many people come here not only because they want to support the community but they also want to celebrate diversity,” Gallant said. “That’s one of the things that makes New Brunswick so strong is the fact that we are diverse and we work together to get things done.”