Commissioner's Directive

Half-Masting of the National Flag of Canada and Other Flags

AUTHORITIES

PURPOSE

  • To establish an internal procedure in accordance with Government of Canada guidelines, and as authorized by the Minister of Public Safety, for the half-masting of the National Flag of Canada within the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) in the event of the death of a CSC employee
  • To respect the half-masting of the National Flag as a well-established procedure to bestow an honour and express a collective sense of sorrow when a death has occurred as prescribed in this policy or to recognize a prescribed national event

APPLICATION

Applies to all buildings and establishments under the responsibility of CSC

RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. The Assistant Commissioner, Communications and Engagement (ACCE), is the delegated authority for the implementation and administration of this directive.

PROCEDURES

Mandatory Directed Occasions

  1. In the event that the National Flag is to be flown at half-mast, all flags within the surrounding stand of flags must be lowered accordingly.
  2. Pursuant to the rules for the half-masting of the flags of Canada administered by the Department of Canadian Heritage, the flag(s) will be half-masted on all federal buildings and establishments in Canada from sunrise to sunset on the following days:
    1. April 28, Workers' Mourning Day
    2. June 23, National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism
    3. last Sunday in September, Police and Peace Officers' National Memorial Day
    4. November 11, Remembrance Day
    5. December 6, National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
  3. Prior to these or other prescribed occurrences, the Department of Canadian Heritage will send a notice to all relevant authorities instructing them to half-mast the National Flag. The notification will stipulate the reason, geographical extent and duration of the half-masting. In turn, CSC will notify all managers and employees detailing the required actions.

Honouring CSC Employees

  1. Flags will be flown at half-mast:
    1. in the event of the line-of-duty death of a CSC employee, the flags at all CSC buildings and establishments – from notification of death until sunset the day of the funeral or of the memorial service
    2. in the event of the death of the current Commissioner, Senior Deputy Commissioner, Assistant Commissioners or Deputy Commissioner for Women, the flags at all CSC buildings and establishments – from notification of death until sunset the day of the funeral or of the memorial service
    3. in the event of the death of a current Regional Deputy Commissioner, flags at all CSC buildings and establishments within the respective region – from notification of death until sunset the day of the funeral or of the memorial service. The flags at all remaining CSC establishments outside of the affected region will be lowered from sunrise on the day of the funeral or of the memorial service until sunset on that same day
  2. Unless notified by the ACCE, the National Flag or the CSC flag will not be lowered for any other reason.
  3. In the event of the death of a current serving CSC employee whose death is not considered to be a line-of-duty death, whether on duty or not, the following is authorized:
    1. in a suitable place in the front foyer of a CSC facility, and as a sign of mourning, the CSC flag may be positioned on a flag pole and stand. This will allow a suitable and visual honour to the deceased while complying with flag etiquette
    2. a cravat will be fastened between the top of the CSC flag and below the ornament (finial). The cravat will be a piece of black crepe fabric 2.5 m long and 33 cm wide, tied in a bow at the base of the finial so that the span of the bow is 30 cm. The ends, cut on the bias, should hang half-way down the sleeve of the CSC flag (see illustrations in Annex B)
    3. at no time will a cravat be attached to the National Flag of Canada or to an exterior flag
    4. the duration that the cravat will be attached to the interior CSC flag shall be from notification of death until sunset on the day of the funeral or of the memorial service
    5. the above form of tribute should also be given in the event of a line-of-duty death within CSC
    6. see Annex B for an illustrated description

Reporting Process

  1. In the event of the death of an employee while on duty for any reason, procedures pursuant to CD 568-1 – Recording and Reporting of Security Incidents must be followed.
  2. In addition, the subsequent procedures will be followed in the event of such a death:
    1. the manager of the deceased employee will inform the Regional Deputy Commissioner (or Sector Head in the event of the death of a National Headquarters employee) (special care must be taken to ensure that next of kin notifications have been completed)
    2. the Regional Deputy Commissioner or Sector Head will inform the Commissioner as well as the ACCE. The ACCE will advise the Commissioner on the protocol for lowering flags. If applicable, the ACCE will ensure that the CSC Ceremonial Units and the manager responsible for the administration of the rules at the Department of Canadian Heritage are informed of the death
  3. In the event of a death as mentioned in subparagraph 8a, b or c, a message regarding the death will be sent from the Commissioner or his/her designate to CSC staff as well as to the Minister of Public Safety.
  4. Specific instructions with respect to the half-masting of flags will be sent to Executive Committee members by the Chief of Protocol.
Commissioner,

Original Signed by:

Don Head

ANNEX A

CROSS-REFERENCES AND DEFINITIONS

CROSS-REFERENCES

CD 568-1 – Recording and Reporting of Security Incidents
CD 600 – Management of Emergencies
GL 265 – Administration of the CSC Recognition Program

General Rules for Flying and Displaying the National Flag of Canada and Other Flags in Canada (Department of Canadian Heritage)

DEFINITIONS

CSC flag: the corporate flag of the Correctional Service of Canada.

Half-mast: the position of the flag when flying at half-mast will depend on its size, the length of the mast and its location; but, as a general rule, the centre of the flag should be exactly half-way down the mast. When hoisted to or lowered from half-mast position, the flag should be first raised to the masthead.

Line-of-duty death: the death of a CSC employee while carrying out his or her lawfully assigned duties in an institution, the community or while deployed on international operations.

National Flag: the National Flag of Canada as approved by Parliament and proclaimed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, on February 15, 1965.

Cravat : a piece of black crepe fabric 2.5 m long and 33 cm wide, tied in a bow at the base of the finial (ornament) so that the span of the bow is 30 cm. The ends, cut on the bias (45 degree angle), should hang half-way down the sleeve of the CSC flag.

ANNEX B

ILLUSTRATED REFERENCES

Illustration of flag with cravat

Illustration of flag with cravat

CSC flag with cravat

CSC flag with cravat

For more information

To learn about upcoming or ongoing consultations on proposed federal regulations, visit the Canada Gazette and Consulting with Canadians websites.