Ottawa City Hall to raise US flag on July 4th

 

 

 

The US flag will be raised at Ottawa City Hall on July 4th, Independence Day, as per protocol. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said raising the US flag during the Canada-U.S. trade war highlights history and friendship. The city said the flag will fly over Marion Dewar Plaza in front of City Hall.

The mayor said the federal government is simply following normal protocol to raise the flag on the national day of any country with which it has formal diplomatic relations. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe cited protocol to justify the decision. Several city councillors supported the mayor’s decision. Ottawa’s flag-raising protocol has recently been embroiled in controversy after pro-Palestinian groups protested the decision to raise the flag on Israel’s Independence Day during the war in Gaza. It is customary to raise the flags of more than 190 countries in Ottawa according to protocol.