Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders says he supports Toronto police officers who would like to accept an invitation to march in uniform in New York City’s Pride parade.

“One of the good things about the police services is that we are a brotherhood and sisterhood of law enforcement and for NYPD to invite us I think is a fantastic thing and if any of the officers wanted to do that I would definitely allow them to do that,” Saunders told reporters following a Toronto police Services Board meeting Tuesday evening.

The invitation for Toronto officers to attend the New York event in uniform was extended Friday in a letter from the Gay Officers Action League (GOAL).

Toronto police officers are allowed to wear their uniforms in other jurisdictions and do so sometimes to represent Toronto police, but they have to get the permission of the chief in order to do so.

In an interview with CP24 Monday, GOAL President Det. Brian Downey said the group has been following events in Toronto closely after a controversy with Black Lives Matter- Toronto at last year’s parade triggered a series of events that led to Pride barring uniformed officers from participating in this year’s parade.

Police will still provide security for the event and may participate if they don’t come in uniform, but there will be no police floats.

Saunders reiterated Tuesday his position that police will not participate in uniform this year in order to give Pride Toronto a chance to work through the question with their constituents.

“My officers won’t be in uniform,” Saunders said. “They can go to the Pride festival if they want to and I hope they would, but the uniform won’t be worn.”

He added that new Pride Toronto Executive Director Olivia Nuamah has “a daunting task ahead of her” in terms of bridging the divide between members of the LGBTQ community who don’t feel comfortable around police – particularly black and transgendered people – and those who would like to see them at the parade.

Speaking to the controversy, Toronto Police Association President Mike McCormack said he’s likely to opt to go to the New York march this year, which happens to be the same day as Toronto’s Pride Parade.

“It’s looking like I’m going to be in New York where they appear to have a progressive mature organization that is willing to accept police officers in uniform,” McCormack told CP24.

“They’ve invited us to not only show up to the parade but low and behold we can wear our unfirms and people who are part of the LGBT community can be proud of being part of the community and proud of being a police officer – what a great and novel approach.”

McCormack said the decision not to allow uniformed officers to participate in this year’s parade flies in the face of decades of work by the LGBTQ community and police officers.

Pride Toronto has said they have no comment on the invitation from GOAL.