Calgary council votes to end foreign flag raisings at City Hall

Calgary City Hall will no longer fly foreign national flags after a narrow 8–7 vote by city council on Monday.

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Calgary City Hall will no longer fly foreign national flags after a narrow 8–7 vote by city council on Monday. The policy change, backed by Mayor Jeromy Farkas and moved by Councillor Dan McLean, ends the practice of raising foreign flags on municipal property.

The motion amends Calgary’s flag policy by removing all provisions allowing the city to fly foreign national flags at City Hall, including on national days or during visits by international dignitaries. It repeals sections that previously permitted those flag raisings and removes the policy’s definition of a “National Day,” effectively ending official civic recognition of other countries through flag displays.

It also updates the rules for ceremonial and solemn occasions to explicitly exclude flags of nations, barring foreign flags from being flown or lowered to half-mast under any circumstance. As a result, City Hall flag displays are limited to Canadian, provincial and municipal flags.

Mayor Jeromy Farkas celebrated the decision in a post to X.

“This provides clarity and consistency in our civic spaces, keeping the focus on municipal responsibilities, and continuing to celebrate Calgary’s diversity through inclusive, community-led ways,” he said.

The tight vote followed an extensive debate at City Hall.

When introducing the motion, McLean explained that what began as a unifying gesture has become a source of division.

“In recent months, this practice has been used in ways that I’ve seen have inflamed tensions, including instances where flag raisings have been associated with antisemitic behaviour and messaging,” he said. “As a municipal government, we have a responsibility to ensure that the spaces and ceremonies we oversee reflect neutrality, unity and respect for all Calgarians. City Hall should be a place where residents feel welcome and safe, regardless of background, faith or heritage.”

He added that flag raisings should be limited to symbols that unite all Calgarians.

While there was some back and forth, councillors eventually clarified that the motion was being moved directly in response to the Palestinian flag being raised in Calgary after Prime Minister Mark Carney recognized it as a state.

The vote follows an earlier attempt to fast-track a similar proposal that failed on procedural grounds last month, delaying the issue for further consideration. At the time, councillors clarified that the vote had nothing to do with the motion’s substance, just whether it was worth fast-tracking.

During the debate, both opposing and supporting councillors argued about divisiveness and how their approach would help unite Calgarians.

“I didn’t want to make this divisive, but yet we are talking about a flag that was very, very divisive,” said McLean.

He referenced some of the chants that took place when the flag was raised.

“By having a certain chanting, which I’ve seen here in City Hall, ‘Globalize the Intifada; From the River to the Sea; Red triangles. We all know what those mean. Those are calls for violence,” said McLean.

The American Jewish Committee defines “From the River to the Sea” as “a phrase that can be used to call for the elimination of the State of Israel and/or ethnic cleansing of Jews living there, to be replaced with Palestinian control over the entire territory from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.”

McLean explained that councillors were in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He added that the provincial government is moving towards a similar policy.

“It’s not about creating division; it’s about easing division,” he said. “Let’s treat everybody the same and just have the flag of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.”

Council ultimately carried the motion with eight councillors voting in favour and seven opposed.

Councillors Rob Ward, Landon Johnston, John Pantazopoulos, Harrison Clark, Mike Jamieson, Kim Tyers and Dan McLean voted in favour of the change, along with Mayor Jeromy Farkas.

Councillors Nathaniel Schmidt, DJ Kelly, Raj Dhaliwal, Myke Atkinson, Andrew Yule, Andre Chabot and Jennifer Wyness voted against the measure.

With the amendment adopted, Calgary City Hall will now fly only Canadian, provincial and municipal flags. Cultural celebrations and national observances are expected to continue through community-led events elsewhere in the city.