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CALGARY — The leader of Alberta’s United Conservative Party says banning police and military personnel from Edmonton’s Pride parade is regrettable and should be reconsidered.

“The military has made great efforts to be inclusive in this respect and there’s a lot of proud gay and lesbian soldiers and police officers,” Jason Kenney at an event in Calgary Monday. “They deserve to be able to celebrate their service to our communities and to Canada without being attacked and marginalized.”

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Edmonton’s Pride parade ground to a halt for more than half an hour on Saturday when demonstrators, who were upset that police officers were allowed to march in the event, blocked its route.

The protesters demanded police, RCMP and military members be banned from marching in future parades.

The Edmonton Pride Festival Society said that it agreed to the demands and neither police nor military members will march in the parade until all community members feel safe with their presence.