The raising of the Chinese flag in Markham has brought up some serious questions from some local residents.

The city, its mayor and some of its councillors are under fire from some residents who say a recent flag raising celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China under Chinese Communist Party leadership was simply wrong on a number of fronts.

That has sparked a call for an end to the practice of foreign flag raisings at the civic centre, a public apology from Mayor Frank Scarpitti and an accounting of public dollars in support of a third-party event after Markham security forces and York Region police had to be called in to deal with the ensuing protest.

“We need to stop this practice and it needs to stop now,” Annette Cacorovski said, adding no foreign flags should be raised at any time, but “particularly at this volatile and hostile time.”

Cacorovski was referring to the current state of relations between Canada and China, which have soured since the December arrest of Chinese Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on an extradition request by the United States.

China then arrested Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig on vague charges related to national security.

The Chinese government also toughened the sentence of a Canadian held on drug charges — changing a 15-year prison sentence to a death sentence — and blocked Canadian canola exports to China.

Recent tensions in Hong Kong have sparked protests on Canadian soil, including in Markham.

Peggy Leung — who is of Hong Kong descent and who organized protests at Queen’s Park and Toronto’s city hall against what she considers gross human rights violations — said the Markham event raises questions about inclusivity, diversity and a society reflective of the democratic values Canadians hold dear.

“This was not a celebration of Chinese culture; this was support for the Chinese flag and the state it represents,” she said. “The city may have been doing it since 2014 and there may have never been an issue before, but there’s never been hostages before, nor terrible tensions to this extent before.”

She questions why the Markham event went ahead when scheduled flag raisings planned for the same weekend in Richmond Hill and Vaughan were cancelled, despite pleas from residents to the contrary and advance warning protests were being planned.

Residents also feel they were duped by the city, after the event went ahead as scheduled despite emails stating it had been cancelled and flyers that the city said erroneously stated financial support came via Celebrate Markham.

All three flag raisings were being conducted by the Federation of Chinese Canadians in Markham — the same group that also organizes and runs the “Taste of Asia” event each year in Markham.

While Toronto Mayor John Tory became one of the first Canadian mayors outside of Vancouver to weigh in on the conversation about China when he boycotted the ceremonial raising of the Chinese flag in his city, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, as well as councillors Jack Heath and Amanda Colucci, attended the event in Markham.

“It’s not only highly inappropriate with two Canadians still being held, but also could be considered tacit endorsement of China and its policies,” said Martin Leung. “That’s the major reason we are against it and we think it was the wrong message for our politicians to send.”

Scarpitti defended his attendance at the event, saying as mayor, he attends many flag raisings when his schedule permits to show community support and to celebrate the rich diversity for which Markham is known.

While city hall has a courtesy flag pole and a protocol for who can use it, the City of Markham does not endorse those who do.

“Any cancellations and changes to scheduling was at the direction of FCCM,” Scarpitti said, adding the city permits special flag raisings to raise public awareness of multicultural events, fundraising drives and historical commemorations.

“I believe in building bridges and creating an inclusive community,” he added. “We recognize the positive social, cultural and economic contributions of residents who hail from all over the world.”

Deputy Mayor and Regional Councillor Don Hamilton acknowledged the issue is a highly charged one that has a lot of Markham residents upset, but added it is worth a discussion moving forward.

In response to a flood of complaints, Hamilton brought the matter forward to general committee, asking for a report back from staff regarding the flag raising policy, with a view to having a discussion on whether the city should be allowing the raising of any flags of foreign nations.

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While some councillors said the request was divisive, Hamilton said he believes the flag raising only deepened an existing divide.

“I have received many rational, well-written and thoughtful emails on the subject,” Hamilton said. “The bulk of them do not support the city continuing its practice of raising foreign flags.”

The issue is expected to come to council within the next month.

HR Heidi Riedner is a general assignment reporter for YorkRegion.com and its sister papers. Reach her via email: hriedner@yrmg.com

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