Ottawa raises U.S. flag to celebrate Independence Day

Ottawa City Hall will fly the United States’ flag on Friday to mark the country’s Independence Day, maintaining a long-standing tradition.

Source: Flickr

Ottawa City Hall will fly the United States’ flag on Friday to mark the country’s Independence Day, maintaining a long-standing tradition. Despite ongoing trade tensions between Canada and the U.S., the custom will continue “as a gesture of respect and friendship.”

“In recognition of the ethnic diversity of the population of the City of Ottawa and of its unique role as the nation’s capital, the City of Ottawa will fly the flag of any nation on its national day with whom Canada has diplomatic relations,” reads the City of Ottawa’s website.

“All embassies have been invited to provide the City’s Office of Protocol with their national flag to be flown outside City Hall on their respective national day.”

Additionally, the flag of Rwanda will be flown at Ottawa City Hall on Friday to mark its Liberation Day.

The custom, which dates back to 2006, will see over 190 flags flown at Ottawa City Hall this year to honor other countries’ respective national days.

According to protocol, when two or more countries share the same national day, the flags are flown in alphabetical order. The flags are flown from sunrise to sunset.

“As a gesture of respect and friendship, on the advice of the Chief of Protocol and at the direction of the Mayor, the City of Ottawa will fly the appropriate flag on the occasion of a visiting dignitary; the flag will be flown for the duration of the visit to Ottawa City Hall,” it said.

Flags permanently flown at Ottawa City Hall include Canada’s national flag, the Province of Ontario, the City of Ottawa, the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation, the Tribal Council, the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, and the Franco-Ontarian flag.