Nissan Canada is among three top sponsors that are pulling their funding from Pride 2025, according to a Nissan spokesperson.
On Wednesday, the Star reported that Pride Toronto’s recent loss of sponsors could hurt this year’s 2SLGBTQI+ festival, which attracts millions of visitors annually, amid a widespread culture war against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) corporate efforts in the U.S.
“Nissan Canada has been a proud sponsor of Pride Toronto for 2023 and 2024, among other external and internal initiatives,” director of corporate communications Didier Marsaud wrote in an emailed statement to the Star.
“Unfortunately, we will not be able to sponsor this year’s event in Toronto, a local decision solely due to a reevaluation of all our marketing and media activations in a variety of activities to ensure we will efficiently support our new product launches and marketing campaigns coming in 2025,” the statement continued.
In December, Bloomberg reported that the Japanese automaker’s Americas unit would be rolling back diversity initiatives amid growing scrutiny from conservative activists.
That came after influencer Robby Starbuck, who became the face of the online campaign against DEI programs, said in a social media post that Nissan had committed to no longer funding Pride events like the one in San Francisco.
Starbuck’s activism has had some prior success. Since he threatened consumer boycotts of certain prominent brands employing diversity work, some have clawed back initiatives, including Ford, Lowe’s, Harley-Davidson and tractor maker Deere & Co.
Nissan Canada said it operates separately from the U.S. and that the decision to drop sponsorship of Pride Toronto was based on its budget evaluation for the new fiscal year starting on April 1.
“About the comment from Robby Starbuck, Nissan USA clarified they will be creating a formal process for the review and approval of all their marketing partnerships and sponsorships to ensure that they align with business priorities and brand standards,” Marsaud said.
“Nissan Canada remains committed to promoting an inclusive culture for employees, consumers, dealers and other key stakeholders, and we will continue to explore other ways to support and celebrate inclusion. We look forward to finding new opportunities to collaborate and contribute in the future.”
Nissan has shown signs of financial struggle recently. In November, the manufacturer said it would cut its CEO’s pay in half and slashed 9,000 jobs in a major restructuring.
Its Canadian subsidiary was a “gold” partner of Pride Toronto last year, meaning it contributed at least $150,000 in cash and in-kind goods.
Executive director of Pride Toronto Kojo Modeste did not disclose the names of any of the three sponsors who are pulling funding, but said two were “gold” and another “silver,” contributing at least $100,000 in value.
According to Pride Toronto’s 2024 Pride Guide, its “gold” partners included Smirnoff (Diageo), Bud Light (Labatt Breweries), Tim Hortons, Air Canada, Rogers, Nissan, OLG, The Abnormal Beauty Company, Fasken and Kenvue.
Its 2024 “silver” partners were Adidas, Trojan, Manulife, Maple Leaf Foods and Bubly (PepsiCo).
The Star reached out to all sponsors with cross-border operations.
The following brands have committed to Pride 2025: Smirnoff, Tim Hortons, Air Canada, Rogers and Maple Leaf Foods. TD Bank, Pride Toronto’s top backer, also said it would continue to partner with the organization.
