First National celebrates Pride with purpose

First National congratulates and thanks Spaces, our dedicated employee resource group, for inspiring this year’s activities and all participants for taking bold steps to support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and build our knowledge and appreciation for this global movement to end discrimination.

In Toronto, Pride began in June with a special kick off followed by our Pride luncheon and Drag Bingo featuring a performance by the city’s own Ivory Towers. During Pride month, our team donated to Friends of Ruby, a vital local charity providing 2SLGBTQIA+ youth with life-saving housing, mental health and social services.

In Vancouver, our team gathered in July to decorate special vogue fans leading up to our Pride luncheon with special guests Van Vogue Jam, the Vancouver based non-profit helping to build the vogue/ballroom scene. For the community, we contributed to McLaren Housing Society of British Columbia to help it carry out its mission of supporting those living with HIV/AIDS.

In Montreal, our Pride luncheon in August served as a great kick off for the city’s broader Pride celebrations and a day later, we participated in a special educational workshop hosted by the experts at CultureAlly. In a meaningful display of solidarity (and patience!), our team completed a special Pride puzzle.

For Calgary, our luncheon in September brought us together on the eve of the city’s annual Pride celebrations with funds raised and donations made to Stepping Stone. With its comprehensive care model, Stepping Stone connects trans and gender-diverse youth, adults and families to support and services.

In every First National location, a key objective was to build a deeper knowledge of – and appreciation for – the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. To do that, we conducted Pride polls, with winning participants correctly identifying that 1.3 million Canadians 15 years and older consider themselves part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ population. 

To make our celebrations bigger and better than ever, we were joined by our colleagues at Canada Guaranty and all events were catered by Canadian-owned businesses including Craig’s Cookies, Sausage Party, Levant, 2 Guys with Knives, Tall Shadow Bakery, Miss Pret a Manger and Sweatered Hen. Thank you to these dedicated, community-minded organizations.