Half-mast

Municipal taxes are due July 2. On Tuesday, before the holiday, I stopped by the government building to pay my taxes, but the line-up was out the door, with about 50 people who had the same idea as I did. So I made a new plan: I'd go Thursday morning before work, arriving before 8:30 a.m. when the government offices opened so I could be first in line.

While I was waiting for the doors to be unlocked, a worker approached the three flag poles that are in front of the government building and lowered the three flags to half-mast. This is used internationally as a sign of mourning. Someone important must have died.

I asked the worker, Why are you lowering the flags to half-mast? Who died?

His answer surprised me, but perhaps it shouldn't have. It just presented such a stereotype of "the government worker." He said: I don't know. I was just told to lower the flags.

If my supervisor had given me such instructions, my innate curiosity would have led me to at least ask in whose honour the flags were being lowered. If not my curiosity, then the thought that perhaps someone might ask me and I'd want to be able to answer correctly.

During the day, I asked several people with whom I work and others that I saw at a meeting if they knew. No one knew. So maybe I shouldn't fault the poor government worker for not knowing (although I still think he should have known!!) I tried to catch the radio newscasts for a clue, but came up with nothing.

Finally, tonight, a simple Internet search gave me the information I sought. The Right Honourable Roméo LeBlanc (1927-2009), Governor-General of Canada from 1995-1999, died on June 24, 2009. It was in his honour that the flags were lowered to half-mast after flying at full-mast for the Canada Day holiday.

His funeral is on July 3, after which the flags will be returned to full-mast.