UPDATE: Fort St. John Santa Claus Parade float depicting politicians in a cage causes concern

UPDATE: A sentence about the reactions to the float has been added to the story.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Fort St. John Santa Claus Parade brought joy to many families this past weekend, but one float had some community members concerned.

The float in question depicts four federal politicians, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, in a cage with a sign that reads “We saved Xmas.”

On social media, there have been mixed reactions to the float. Residents have voiced their support for the float in some social media groups, while others have said it wasn’t appropriate for a Christmas parade.

According to Ryan Harvey with the City of Fort St. John, a list of guidelines is given to parade participants, though the creator of the cage float did not receive these directions.

“In this particular instance, the application form on our website wasn’t turned off, so this was a late submission that also wasn’t provided with the guidelines,” Harvey said.

Harvey says the city will ensure this doesn’t happen in the future.

The guidelines require the float to incorporate a “holiday or Christmas” theme and “No entry may depict any controversial or otherwise offensive materials.”

During the marshalling phase, staff typically check each float to ensure they follow guidelines. However, Harvey said there were 70 floats participating in the parade this year, citing it as the reason staff didn’t notice the questionable float.

“We understand that it did cause some anger, and we certainly understand that aspect,” Harvey said.

“We’re looking at our processes going forward to ensure that the event is family-friendly and really an opportunity to celebrate the holiday season.”

The parade guidelines can be found on the City of Fort St. John’s website.