Faced with protests from the Francophone community, the Town of Greenstone could reverse its decision to no longer permanently fly the Franco-Ontarian flag.
A notice of motion was tabled Monday evening by city councilor Vicky Budge to re-debate changes to the flag arrangement policy. The motion, which aims to “reexamine the resolution,” will be presented at the next municipal council meeting on March 25. If it is approved, elected officials will be able to debate again at the next meeting, on April 8.
“We hope that it will be debated again, because, last time, it was not debated at all, it just happened within 30 seconds,” comments the president of the Association des francophones du Nord-Ouest of Ontario (AFNOO), Claudette Gleeson, in interview at Duty.
AFNOO, which organized the presence of a Franco-Ontarian delegation at Monday’s municipal council meeting, does not, however, declare victory and calls for continued mobilization. The municipal councilors remained “really neutral; they have not demonstrated their interest,” notes Mme Gleeson. No questions were asked of delegates Sylvie Payeur, Anne-Marie Gélineaut and Vincent Nadon — a high school student whose father is Indigenous and whose mother is French-speaking.
The Town of Greenstone did not respond to questions from Duty.
However, elected officials will not be able to “forget” the mobilization of the community, according to Mme Gleeson, because about 70 people dressed in green and white came to attend the city council meeting despite the spring break. “The atmosphere was incredible. »
An outcry in the community
In February, the council of the municipality north of Thunder Bay changed its flag arrangement policy. As part of a “reconciliation” approach, the administration wanted to be able to fly the flag of the Every Child Matters indigenous cause, particularly on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, September 30.
But rather than buying a fourth flagpole, she chose to lower the Franco-Ontarian flag, which had flown permanently over the city since 2015. The green and white flag and the orange flag will now be raised “for a period of up to go up to five days” each year.
The decision was made without consulting either the French-speaking communities or the First Nations, said Sylvie Payeur, vice-president of the Aurores boréales Catholic District School Board. And it sparked an outcry, not only within the municipality, but also within the federal government.
Last week, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu said the Town of Greenstone had “no choice” between reconciliation and its Francophone roots. “We can move forward on the path to reconciliation AND be proud of our French-speaking roots. […] I know that the French speakers of Greenstone stand in solidarity with the First Nations. I hope we find a way to celebrate both,” she wrote on the social network (formerly Twitter).
In nearly four days, more than 500 residents of the municipality signed a petition for the “immediate and permanent restoration of the Franco-Ontarian flag”. Among the signatories, who represent more than 10% of the inhabitants of Greenstone, include French speakers, but also English speakers and members of the First Nations, said the president of the Conseil du scolaire du Grand Nord, Anne-Marie Gélineault. Mayor James McPherson, however, cited “a problem with the petition that we cannot discuss with the public,” without providing further details.
According to Mme Payer, the decision taken in February is “contradictory to the idea of inclusion” that the municipality wants to demonstrate, and rather creates “divisions” between Francophones and Indigenous people.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.