Planned Parenthood criticizes city’s flag-raising policy

Abortion opponents will no longer get an official proclamation from the office of Mayor Jim Watson to mark their annual march through the streets of Ottawa.

“The right-to-life proclamations, as of now, will no longer be permitted,” Watson said on Friday, a day after the city announced changes to its flag-raising policy.

“It’s clear we’re not to engage in political or religious proclamations, so from now on there won’t be a proclamation to support rightto-life day or month or whatever it was.”

The city could have simply stopped making all proclamations, but Watson said there’s value in proclamations because they promote good work done by many organizations.

“It’s either you get rid of them all, which hurts a lot of organizations, or you have a policy that is very clear that we’re not going to use the proclamation or the flags for religious issues that fall completely outside our jurisdictions and I think what the clerk did was very good work and I’m pleased with the results,” Watson said.

City clerk and solicitor Rick O’Connor told council in a memo that there will be a couple of changes to the flag-raising policy once the amended rules come into force on Monday.

Watson asked for a review of the policies after an Ottawa man was successful in getting the city to raise a National March for Life anti-abortion flag outside city hall last May. An instant backlash on social media and concerns voiced by city councillors compelled the city to take the flag down by midafternoon.

According to changes in the new policy, flags will raised for groups and organizations whose mandates, programs or activities are directly related to the City of Ottawa through a funding agreement, or when flag raising would “correspond with relevant days of awareness, celebration, importance of commemoration or promotion, as recognized by the Ontario Provincial Government and/or Canadian Federal Government, or a ministry or department thereof.”

The new policy also adds a line that says flags won’t be raised if the organization’s undertakings “are politically or religiously motivated or represent other individual conviction.”

The city isn’t making changes to the proclamations policy, but Watson said he’s not going to sign a proclamation related to an antiabortion event.

For several years the mayor has signed an annual “Respect For Life Day” proclamation to recognize the National March for Life.

Planned Parenthood Ottawa is skeptical about changes made to the flag-raising policy, saying they could offset gains made this week through a proposed “bubble zone” law in Ontario.

The organization is worried the city’s language isn’t strong enough.

“There’s nothing here saying flags won’t be flown for issues that undermine human rights or that are politically divisive,” executive director Catherine Macnab said.

Watson believes the amended flag-raising policy is air-tight.

“Planned Parenthood should have no concerns because it’s very clear to me that the policy now restricts the raising of flags to those organizations that have a connection with the city and that particular anti-abortion march has nothing to do with the city,” Watson said.

Macnab criticized the city for being quiet about the policy changes this week, rather than opening it up to consultations.

“Maybe some people don’t want to court that kind of debate and discussion, but I just think it’s really important because city policy reflects all of us,” Macnab said.

In another change to flag procedures at city hall, the city will no longer raise the flag of a country that has suffered a tragic event. The mayor will send a condolence letter to the ambassador on behalf of Ottawa residents.jwilling@postmedia.com