GREENSTONE — Following a regular council meeting held in Greenstone on Feb. 12, members of the Francophone community have mobilized in response to a resolution passed by council.
The resolution reverses a previous decision made by Greenstone’s council in 2015 to permanently fly the Franco-Ontario flag and limits “special flags” – including Greenstone’s Every Child Matters flag – to fly for “up to five days, or until such a time as staff can accommodate removal.”
Association des francophones du Nord-Ouest de l'Ontario (AFNOO) has stepped in to support Greenstone’s Francophone community and present a deputation to municipal council on March 11.
Speaking to Dougall Media about the resolution that was passed in early February, Mayor Jamie McPherson said the decision came down to what is most “equitable.”
“In our reconciliation action plan, we had recognized that we’re not equitable in our flag display – in that the Francophone flag was flying year-round, but the Every Child Matters flag and the Metis Nation of Ontario flag were only flying for one week,” he said.
McPherson said there’s a “difference of expectation” between the municipality and Francophone members of the community.
“In the spirit of reconciliation, we’ve modified the flag policy to reflect equality for the three original groups of the country. And that is not going well with some in the Francophone community who fought long and hard to get us to fly the Francophone flag year-round. That was 10 years ago and as we’ve moved on we’ve recognized that it wasn’t equitable so that’s where the change came from and they are not in favour of that change,” he said.
In a brief submitted to Greenstone’s municipal council, AFNOO recounts the history of the Franco-Ontarian flag, its importance to the French-speaking community in Greenstone and across Ontario, in addition to the impact of the flag’s removal on the community.
While recognizing the importance of equity and the need for Indigenous and First Nations’ voices to be heard alongside their own, AFNOO made it clear that council’s decision will have the opposite effect.
“While justice must be done to Aboriginal communities, we must not adopt strategies that will cause division between communities. The Francophone community is inclusive and always seeks positive relations with First Nations,” AFNOO wrote.
AFNOO have also presented a petition signed by “more than 10 per cent” of the population of Greenstone demanding the flag resolution be reversed.
“The Francophone community is open to solutions that unite the three founding peoples, First Nations, Francophones and Anglophones. If you have any questions or good, progressive and inclusive ideas, the Francophone community will support you, but for now, the will of the Francophone community is the immediate and permanent reinstatement of the Franco-Ontarian flag in Greenstone as adopted by City Council in July, 2015,” AFNOO wrote.