Original sentence: A short national scandal ensued at what critics percieved a slight against veterans and against the country.Bellevance gained national attention early in his term, when he intially refused to provide Canadian flags to a Royal Canadian Legion hall in Richmond.Bellevance, a Quebec sovereigntist, had said he felt uncomfortable promoting Canada by providing a flag through his own office, and instead provided a toll-free phone number for the Department of Canadian Heritage, which might provide such a flag.Gilles Duceppe, leader of the Bloc Québécois, soon announced that the Bloc whip would send the legion several flags.Many politicians quickly sent the Legion flags; Prime Minister Paul Martin sent a flag that had flown atop the Peace Tower, and Opposition leader Stephen Harper personally delivered a dozen flags.Other Bloc MPs had given their constituents Canadian flags on request in the past
Edited sentence: Bellevance has recently become known to Canadians as the politician who feels comfortable cashing his Federal government paycheck while refusing to provide Canadian Flags to Canadian Veterans who fought preserving his right to free speech and democracy