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Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Cold Lake will recognize Pride Week from June 8 to 12 with a series of events aimed at celebrating inclusion and recognizing the contributions of 2SLGBTQIA+ members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).
The week begins on Monday, June 8, with a Pride Flag Raising Ceremony at 8:30 a.m. at the flag poles located at Athabasca Road and Queensway. Later that afternoon, at 1:30 p.m., Honorary Colonel Steven Deschamps will deliver a keynote address at the 4 Wing Theatre.
On Tuesday, June 9, members of the military community and the public are invited to attend an open discussion with HCol Deschamps at 10 a.m. in the Officers’ Mess Lounge. The week will conclude with a Pride Flag Lowering Ceremony at 4 p.m. on Friday, June 12.
Deschamps’ appearance during Pride Week carries particular significance. A former Air Force officer, he was among those affected by the historic LGBT Purge, a period when Canadians could be dismissed from military service because of their sexual orientation. After being released from the Canadian Armed Forces in 1982, he later rejoined the military following policy changes, ultimately rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and serving as an advocate for inclusion and education on this chapter of Canadian military history.
Sergeant Norman Feng, one of the organizers of Pride Week at the base, said the annual flag raising remains an important opportunity to recognize the diversity of today’s military.
“It’s important for CFB Cold Lake to raise the Pride Flag every year in order to recognize and acknowledge our 2SLGBTQIA+ military personnel, who represent our modern Canadian Armed Forces so well, at home and abroad, in a wide variety of specialty trades,” said Feng.
Feng said he hopes the week’s events will reinforce the importance of inclusion both within the military and throughout the broader community.
“For me, there’s only one simple message that needs to be internalized by all of us, year after year: Inclusion matters for everyone, regardless of who you love or how you identify,” he said. “And if that message resonates within our military, we can be that example to our surrounding community as well.”
