Saskatchewan flies pride flag
A rainbow pride flag has been hoisted outside the Legislative Building in Regina.
On Saturday afternoon, Premier Brad Wall tweeted that Saskatchewan would “join other provinces in flying the pride flag.”
“In Saskatchewan we protect human rights and stand against discrimination,” Wall wrote.
It was a rare show of agreement with opposition leader Cam Broten, who tweeted a few hours earlier that he would like to see the rainbow flying outside the Saskatchewan “in support of diversity, equality (and) human rights.”
Wall could not be reached for an interview Sunday, but Broten said raising the flag is a “small but important step.”
Olympic and Russian officials have cautioned athletes against making political statements while inside the arena of competition, but have loosened the rules around press conferences and social media commentary.
In any case, Broten said raising the pride flag in Regina during the games is a human rights issue. “It isn’t politicizing the games — it’s about doing what’s right,” he said.
The Saskatchewan Legislative Building joins a throng of government buildings across Canada flying pride flags for the duration of the Winter Olympics.
Municipalities include Montreal, St. John’s, Ottawa, Victoria, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, and Alberta’s provincial legislature will also fly a pride flag.
The gesture is a statement against Russia’s anti-gay laws.
As of Friday in Regina, nobody had officially requested to fly the pride flag at City Hall, but Saskatoon City Council is due to debate the issue today.