Veterans from a small town Royal Canadian Legion hall say they're fighting a new battle over the Canadian flag, after their local Bloc Quebecois MP refused to provide any for Remembrance Day.

When it comes time to commemorate their fallen comrades, members of the Legion branch in the federal southeastern Quebec riding of Richmond-Arthabaska say new flags are a necessity.

"It just wouldn't be proper to have an old raggedly flag flying about on Remembrance Day," veteran Nick Blemmings told CTV News.

But when the approximately 60 Second World War veterans who live in the town of Richmond submitted their annual request for flags for this year's ceremony, they were roundly rejected.

The explanation given, Legion hall president John Hill says, was that providing the flags would be in direct conflict with the Bloc's political raison d'etre -- Quebec sovereignty.

"They do represent us in Ottawa and they are in a federal party and I think it's disgusting that they would take that attitude," Hill told The Canadian Press.

"Whether they separate or whether they don't separate, that's immaterial. When we request something from our federal MPs they should have the decency to at least adhere to it."

In an interview with CTV News, Bloc MP Andre Bellavance said he doesn't believe the veterans' Remembrance Day services should be without the flags. He just doesn't want to be the one to provide them.

"I respect the veterans very much, he says, but they can get their flags through the Heritage Department," Bellavance said.

In the House of Commons on Thursday, Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe agreed Heritage is the best place for Canadians to turn for Canadian flags.

He also said the issue presents his party with a no-win predicament.

"The Liberals have denounced us because we gave the flags," in the past, he said. "It is a stupid situation."

"People will receive them if they want them but we won't open a shop in our office to distribute Canadian flags," he added.

Underscoring the confusion, two other Bloc MPs from the region -- Serge Cardin of Sherbrooke and France Bonsant of Compton-Stanstead -- say they would have no problem providing vets with Canadian flags.

For the vets in Richmond, however, their fight might have already produced an unexpected victory. Since word of their plight went public, they have been inundated with calls from private citizens across the province -- offering to donate their personal flags to the cause.

With files from CTV News and The Canadian Press