(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Showing respect

Lowering the flag: what’s the appropriate time to show respect?

Sep 29, 2021 | 5:00 PM

As a way of honouring the National day of Truth and Reconciliation, flags across the province and the country will be lowered to half mast on Thursday.

A number of municipalities though, including the Town of Shellbrook, have not raised them since the discovery last May of the 215 unmarked graves at the former residential school site in B.C. However, according to a resolution at this week’s council meeting, that will soon change.

Mayor Amund Otterson told paNOW the town wants to be respectful and honour the lives lost, but at the same time wants to ensure they can properly recognize future events that may occur.

“How do we recognize if an important politician dies,” he said.

The tragic discovery last May provoked grief across Canada and then more unmarked graves were found at other former schools, including 751 discovered by Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan.

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Response from other cities

The Mayor of Prince Albert said the city follows provincial and federal flag protocols. The flags were lowered for a period of months, but were raised again. Greg Dionne explained this was done so the city could recognize other events such as national days to honour fallen police officers, or people who have died while working on the job site.

In Saskatoon, flags were lowered for a period of roughly three months as well. According to a spokesperson for the city, there was a national survivor event at Whitecap on July 21, and the chair of the survivors circle suggested to Mayor Charlie Clark to keep the flags lowered until that event.

In Melfort, flags were lowered at both the cenotaph and city hall, but have since been raised up. Mayor Glenn George said flags are lowered for a reasonable length of time.

“We try to do what’s right and I think it’s right what we do,” he said.

The provincial and federal governments

All Government of Saskatchewan flags were flown at half-mast on May 30, 2021, following the discovery of the unmarked graves. Flags were returned to full-mast at sunset on June 30, 2021, to coincide with the timing of the four day sacred fire at Cowessess First Nation.

During a press conference last month in Mississauga, Ont., Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole suggested flags be raised on Parliament Hill on Sept. 30. He explained he’s proud of Canada in spite of the “scars” from its past and sees Sept. 30 as a day for the country to recommit itself to achieving reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

“We will then raise our flag as a sign of that commitment of building a strong and better Canada in the future,” he said.

“If you don’t love and recommit to your country, are you really going to dig deep to make progress?”

— With files from the Canadian Press

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell