Council votes against pro-life proclamation, flying flag at city hall

A pro-life flag flying at Saskatoon city hall has been rejected.

Council voted 8-3 to reject a request from the Saskatoon chapter of Alliance for Life to fly a flag and have the city proclaim a Respect for Life week in January.

Council also unanimously backed a request by Coun. Hilary Gough for a review of the city’s proclamations policy.

“It seems it’s time for a review of our proclamations policy as a whole,” Gough told Monday night’s council public hearing meeting.

A small group of protesters had gathered outside city hall to urge council Monday to reject the proclamations/flag request.

It marks a severe departure from practice for council to single out a proclamation and then reject it. Usually, flag raising and proclamation requests are approved as a group and usually unanimously.

Council and city administration first received the request in June via an email from Carole Tokaruk, president of the Saskatoon chapter of Alliance for Life.

Gough requested more information at a council meeting and gained support from most of the council members present.

Tokaruk sent a handwritten letter in response in September. The group asked the city to proclaim Jan. 21 -28 Respect for Life week along with a “possible flag raising.”

Coun. Zach Jeffries and Coun. Randy Donauer objected to the request for more information in June, suggesting it amounted to council making political judgments on proclamations.

The City of Saskatoon lacks a policy on flag raisings, but such requests usually follow the same protocol as that of proclamations.

Jeffries and Donauer voted against rejecting the Alliance for Life request Monday, along with Coun. Darren Hill.

The flag raising also appeared on the in-camera agenda of council’s governance and priorities committee on Dec. 10. Tokaruk could not be reached for comment Monday.

The current approach to proclamations dates back to 1994, when a request to proclaim a gay and lesbian Pride Day was defeated on a tied 5-5 vote.

The current approach tries to remove political decisions from the requests for proclamations. Since 1995, the mayor no longer signs such proclamations. The city clerk exercises discretion in vetting requests and signs them. Saskatoon city hall approved Respect for Life week in 1976, 1980 and 2001.

City administration had originally recommended approving the request from Alliance for Life. Donauer suggested the request be approved Monday, but that motion was defeated.

Prince Albert city council abandoned its policy of offering a courtesy flagpole for community groups earlier this year in the face of a legal challenge over the denial of a prolife group’s request to fly a flag.

It seems it’s time for a review of our proclamations policy as a whole.