Calgary Mayor Proposes Ban on Foreign Flag Raisings Following Palestinian Flag Controversy

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas speaks to reporters outside City Hall in Calgary on Oct. 21, 2025. The Canadian Press/Bill Graveland

Calgary’s mayor says he will move to amend the city’s current national flag policy after concerns were raised over the raising of the Palestinian flag at City Hall.

Mayor Jeromy Farkas said he will be making an “urgent” motion to change the current policy, which allows for flags of countries recognized by the Government of Canada to be raised on their national days. Farkas said the amendment will prohibit the flags of other countries from being raised at City Hall.

Farkas made the statement in a Nov. 13 post on social media, adding that the city has raised the Israeli flag on May 14 for years. He noted that with the federal government officially recognizing the Palestinian state, the previous council approved a flag-raising event for the Palestinian flag at City Hall, originally set for Nov. 30 and later moved to Nov. 15.

He said that such events have now become “flashpoints” that are causing division and making some residents feel “unsafe.”

“Over the past several days, Calgarians from many communities have reached out with serious concerns about how national flag-raisings, of any country, can unintentionally heighten tensions here at home,” Farkas wrote.

The Calgary Jewish Federation has said it is “alarmed” and “deeply disappointed” over the raising of the Palestinian flag.

It said the decision to allow the event and the shift to Nov. 15, the day the Palestinian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed, “was an intentional decision that enabled approval of a highly politicized and decisive event on a day that carries sufficient political meaning and at a time when Jewish Calgarians are already experiencing unprecedented levels of fear and antisemitism,” the organization said in a Nov. 13 statement.

Farkas said that while the flag raising events could be “well-intentioned,” they risk increasing conflict and may be behind “the alarming rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia we are seeing in our city.”

He said that City Hall needs to be a “place that brings people together.”

The mayor said that national flags, particularly during times of global conflict, “can have the opposite effect.”

“Instead of creating unity, they can create division, escalate emotions, and make some Calgarians feel unsafe.”

He said that he will be bringing an “urgent” notice of motion at the next council meeting to amend the city’s flag raising policy prohibiting national flags of other countries from being raised.

He added the change would apply equally to all countries.

Toronto Flag Raising

The City of Toronto announced it would also be raising the Palestinian flag on Nov. 17 after it said it received a request from the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians.

“Under the City’s flag policy, flags of nations recognized by Global Affairs Canada may be flown on their national days or special anniversaries,” the city said in a statement on its website.

It noted that the federal government officially recognized the Palestinian state on Sept. 21, making its flag eligible to be raised.

The city said the flag would be taken down at the end of the day.

Regina Updates Policy

The City of Regina updated its flag policy at the beginning of this year to prohibit national flag raisings at City Hall.

The policy now restricts them to the flags of Canada, Saskatchewan, Union Jack, City of Regina, Treaty 4, and Metis Nation, following a unanimous vote during Jan. 29’s council meeting.