An urgent notice of motion sponsored by Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas to eliminate raising foreign national flags at the city’s Municipal Plaza was defeated on Tuesday in council chambers.
Farkas raised the motion in response to the controversial raising of the Palestinian flag on the plaza on Saturday.
In introducing the motion, Ward 13 Cllr. Dan McLean said, “What was once intended as a unifying and symbolic gesture has increasingly become a source of division in our community. Recently, this practice has been used in ways that have inflamed tensions, including instances where it has been associated with antisemitism messaging and behavior.”
“As a municipal government, we have an obligation to ensure that the spaces and ceremonies we oversee reflect neutrality, unity and respect for all residents. Our role is to ensure that city ceremonies foster inclusivity, safety and unity, not conflict.”
“The motion is about restoring that principle.”
The motion was designed to remove the section of the city flag policy in relation to the flags of nations, section 5.3. 2, as well as deleting sections which reference flag raisings for other countries’ national days, added McLean.
Farkas followed McLean.
“I put myself in the queue specifically for this amendment about whether to add this to the agenda,” said Farkas.
“Council, thank you for the feedback over the last week or so and through the weekend on some of the textual revisions. We're not asking you to support or oppose the motion itself. It's purely whether to allow council to debate it at the end of the public hearing (today).”
“So I'm asking for your support to add it to today's agenda so that whatever council’s decision is, it's made in the most fair and equitable way possible.”
Farkas noted there were still two more flag raising events scheduled this year, that would be honoured regardless of council's vote, but not approving the motion and debating it Tuesday would create problems.
“We risk potentially having dozens of additional applications come in and under the current rules. So doing it that way would create a really uneven playing field where some communities might receive recognition under the old system while others would fall under the new one. And that's just not equitable.”
“I also want to be clear that the timing of this request is not in response to any specific future flag raising. So the decision of this, whatever the decision ultimately council makes, should be made at the earliest reasonable opportunity so that all communities are treated fairly and consistently.”
"So I'd ask members of council to support adding this item to the agenda so that we can have that discussion today. So again, adding it to to the discussion today does not lock you in to support the motion and simply allows it to be debated.”
Newly elected Ward 8 Cllr., Nathaniel Schmidt, didn’t see the motion as urgent business.
"I understand the (mayor’s) comments and the comments from my colleague Councillor McLean around the urgency of this issue,” said Schmidt.
“My concern, especially in Ward 8, where there is a diversity of different communities from different parts of the world who have called Ward 8 home, including the Jewish community, the Palestinian community, and many others. As the representative for a ward that has so many different people who call it home, I personally appreciate their response, and the opportunity to meet with the stakeholders before adding this divergent business.”
Normally, notices of motion are first considered by council’s executive committee before going to a regular council meeting, and Schmidt suggested this one be postponed for a regular meeting.
Veteran Ward 2 Cllr, Jennifer Wyness also spoke in opposition, saying she did not see the motion as urgent.
“Let's not kid ourselves, this is purely because of the Palestinian flag raising, (which) the mayor operated under as a councillor,” said Wyness, adding the ‘urgency’ came only after the ensuing controversary of the Palestinian flag raising, and the motion should go to executive committee.
“Shortcutting of our process of going through executive removes the ability to communicate a policy that matters to everybody. So, I call on my colleagues to not accept this notice of motion.
Mclean disagreed in his close.
"I think it's urgent enough that we're here,” he said. We have a short agenda, please vote yes. Thank you.”
The motion to debate the issue was defeated by a vote of 8 to 7, after which Farkas said in order to pass it required 10 votes in favour.
Voting no were Cllrs. Schmidt, Kelly, Dhaliwal, Pantazopoulus, Atkinson, Clark, Yule, Wyness
Voting yes were Cllrs. Ward, Johnston, Jamieson, Tyers, Chabot, McLean and Mayor Farkas
It is quite likely the motion will arise in executive committee in the future.
