Under pressure from Quebec nationalists, the city of Montreal has announced it will conform to a provincial law regarding flags.
The flag flap began earlier this year when two retired journalists, Gilles Paquin and Jean-Pierre Bonhomme, threatened legal action against the city of Montreal because it was flying the Canadian flag in the centre-most position at City Hall and giving the Maple Leaf prominence at most city functions.
The pair also took offence that when Mayor Valerie Plante hosted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in December, only the flags of Canada and Montreal were on display at a news conference.
Earlier this year, the provincial Liberal deputy Justice Minister France Lynch wrote to the city's general manager, Alain Marcoux, advising Montreal of Quebec's law regarding flags.
Under that law the fleurdelisé "has precedence over any other flag or emblem" when it is flown in the province.
Following those complaints the city of Montreal re-analyzed the city's flag policy, which had not been updated since 1996.
Federal flag protocol says that when multiple flags are on display in Canada the Maple Leaf should be in the centre, but those guidelines are not a law, and are not backed up by any legislation.
As a result Montreal announced Wednesday that the Quebec Flag will fly from the centremost pole outside Montreal City Hall as of Nov. 19.
The fleurdelisé will also be added to Montreal City Council Chambers, in accordance with provincial law.
