What to know
- Don Valley East Councillor Jon Burnside has introduced a new motion aimed at banning foreign flags from flying in front of City Hall.
- The motion was seconded by Scarborough Centre Councillor Michael Thompson.
- The motion, if passed, would ban flags from countries outside of Canada and flags requested by non-profit and charitable organizations.
Two Toronto city councillors have introduced a motion aimed at banning foreign flags from flying in front of Toronto City Hall.
The motion, titled “One Country, One Flag,” was filed by Councillor Jon Burnside (Don Valley East) and seconded by Councillor Michael Thompson (Scarborough Centre) and looks to ban flags from foreign countries and flags requested by non-profits, advocacy groups, and other charitable organizations.
According to the motion’s agenda, flags that can still fly in front of city hall are: the City of Toronto flag, the Canadian flag, flags of provinces and territories, flags of Indigenous and Treaty partners, the Intersex Pride flag, and the Black Liberation flag.
Additionally, flags belonging to professional sports organizations and flags of cities that are part of Toronto’s International Alliance program will still be allowed.
In an interview with Now Toronto, Burnside says he filed the motion due to the threats levied by the United States to Canada’s sovereignty and economy.
“We’ve had all the elbows up and shop Canadian campaigns and I think this is really an extension of that,” he explains. “We’re all Canadians and we need to rally around our flag.”
Burnside says he believes a flag is “something people rally around and is supposed to bring us together.”
“I’ve found flying flags of certain groups and countries has really been a focal point for division. And that’s not what city hall is about,” he says. “Our mandate is to bring people together and to do whatever we can to accomplish that.”
The councillor further explains his stance, saying he looks out the window of his Bay Street office and says he has seen riot police “marching up and down in preparation of whatever group is there to cause problems about the flying of the flag of another group.”
“There are lots of places to fly a flag, but when it comes to government buildings, whether it’s our civic centres or City Hall, we need to be focused on our country and our flag and bringing people together.”
The “One Country, One Flag” motion will be considered by city council on Thursday, March 26.
