Can the flag be a symbol for ALL Canadians?
February 15 is Flag Day, in commemoration of the day in 1965 when the red and white maple leaf flag was first officially flown in Canada. According to canada.ca, “Our national flag is a symbol that unites Canadians and reflects the common values we take pride in — democracy, inclusion and equity.” Is that true? Or has the flag been seized by a movement that doesn’t appear to celebrate those values?
Many of those that in the past few years have flown Canadian flags on their vehicles, and wave them at overpasses or in other public displays, have expressed values that don’t promote inclusion and equity. To many, those values are actually seen as threats to democracy. By association, flying the Canadian flag now suggests a very particular political point of view that isn’t shared by most Canadians. Can the flag be reclaimed as a symbol of pride for all Canadians?
To be fair, the Canadian flag has almost always been a controversial subject. The debates over if and how to change the Canadian flag from the traditional “Red Ensign” and Union Jack, were heated, if not bitter, and for some have never been resolved.
Yet another aspect to this issue is our reckoning with our colonial past. Indigenous peoples, in particular, might have very complex, if not difficult relationships with the flag. Our desire for shared pride in what we officially express as our values — democracy, inclusion, equity — may not ring as true when we look at the history of imperialism, racism and inequality in our country.
Is it possible to be a proud Canadian who looks to the flag as a symbol of positive values? How many steps away from positive expressions of national pride are displays of excessive nationalism, or jingoism, xenophobia and other sinister movements of fear and hate?
In the current political climate, many Canadians are hesitant to display a Canadian flag lest they be associated with political values that they cannot abide. Is it possible to change that?
Find out more:
- Government of Canada: Flag Day
- “I want my flag back.”
- What does the nation’s flag mean to us?
- The Great Flag Debate
- Canadians becoming “Flag-phobic”
- Did the “Freedom Convoy” Change the Meaning of Canada’s Flag?”
- Statement from the Prime Minister
- How Flags Divide Us
- Active History
- Anti-vaxxers are stealing our flag. Let’s take it back
- CBC: The Flag Debate
- History of the Flag of Canada
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