An aboriginal businessman in Moncton wants the city to fly the Mi'kmaq flag permanently in front of city hall.

Pascal Pelletier, the owner of the Klu'skap Native Art Gallery, is also asking the city to rename Riverfront Park to Mi'kmaq Park.

Aboriginal people lived in the Moncton area for thousands of years and many off-reserve people continue to live there today, while others visit to shop, he said.

Yet there's nothing in the city to commemorate their heritage or presence, he said.

"I invited people for the last year-and-a-half, two years to look at Moncton and find me one street, one park, one school, or one building of any kind that bears a Mi'kmaq name or native name, or native representation, and you will not find anything in the whole greater Moncton area," said Pelletier.

He hopes to see the Mi'kmaq flag, which has a red cross, moon and star on a white background, fly alongside the Canadian, New Brunswick, and Acadian flags, as well as the Union Jack at City Hall.

It would be a step toward showing respect for aboriginal people, said Pelletier, a Métis painter and carver from Quebec.

"We're living in a time right now where we see big disparity between the First Nations and non-natives and a lot of people wonder what they can do."

A spokesperson for the City of Moncton said Pelletier will be able to make a presentation at the next council meeting on Monday.

The proposal will likely be sent to a committee for recommendations, the spokesperson said.