A planned law which would have forced the theft of Ontario flag to all provincial buildings and prohibited the desecration of the Canadian flag was scuttled by the Ford governmentGlobal News learned, after the members of the progressive caucus questioned the need for the bill.
Several sources have told Global News that the proposal, carried out as part of a surge of patriotism by the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism Graham McGregor, would have potentially violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and could have been confronted with legal challenges.
The proposal was to be discussed in the Ford cabinet on May 21 – the day of the Ontario flag – but was removed from the briefing documents of the ministers shortly before the driving of the cabinet.
In a brief interview with Global News, McGregor confirmed that his ministry “will not present any legislation this spring session”, but said that the intention behind the measure was to “promote unity” in the province and the country.
“We live in the best province, the best country in the world, so we examine the options,” said McGregor. “But with regard to internal deliberations, the caucus, the cabinet, etc., I simply have no comments to share.”
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Sources have told Global News that the law would have made it compulsory to pilot the Ontario and Canadian flags in all buildings of the Ontario government, in fact creating the need for a secondary mast to accommodate the provincial banner.
The proposal would not have applied to schools, hospitals or installations only funded by the Ontario government.
While some sources have declared that the law would also have included a language that would allow other flags, such as the flag of pride, to be piloted, others to the government have expressed themselves fear that the mandate of Ontario and Canadian flags have actually prevented the other flags from being recognized.
However, the legislation would have created a new provincial offense for anyone who has taken offense or burning the Canadian flag with fines between $ 500 and $ 1,000 for repeated offenses.
According to the flag Criminal defense lawyer Jonathan Pyzer.
In addition to making desecration of provincial offense, Ontario’s proposal would also have given a police officer the right to demand the identification of an individual caught by burning a flag, with potential arrest powers if they had not provided identity.
The progressive initiates told Global News that the proposal had received a lukewarm response when it was presented to the Caucus, with some questioning the need for such a proposal and others throwing it as unnecessary distraction.
Some sources thought that the measure would also be inapplicable and covered the risk of opposing the police to the provisions of the freedom of expression of the Canadian Constitution.
In Caucus, some sources said, some deputies compared the measure to the controversial policy of the COVVI-19 government in 2021, which allowed the police to make random checks in an effort to enforce orders to the province’s home.
These measures, which sparked an intense public reaction, were canceled within 24 hours after the police publicly rejected the powers.
Although McGregor did not address internal disagreements for the legislation, he suggested that his ministry could examine other measures to rally around the Canadian flag.
“What I would say is to defend the flag, to defend Ontario and the Canadian flag, we always examine the opportunities on how we can better promote this,” said McGregor.
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