Key takeaways:
- Some Canadians want to reclaim the Maple Leaf as a sign of unity.
- There are continued calls for people to stop using the Canadian flag as a rallying tool and to use it instead to celebrate values like diversity and inclusion. In contrast, the flag stays a symbol of colonialism for many Indigenous people.
Victor Crapnell recalls the awkward feeling he had watching the Freedom Convoy rallies unfold in his hometown of Ottawa in February. The sentiment came as he noticed the red and white maple leaf on Canada’s flag standing against the icy backdrop.
The Victoria citizen says seeing the photo of the flag displayed so prominently, on several occasions alongside Confederate and Nazi flags, mixed-up emotions he says he never usually associated with the nation’s most recognizable sign.
“It kind of hit home to me that our lovely flag had been hijacked as their symbol of demonstration,” Crapnell said. “And I thought, ‘That’s not right.'”
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With that, in a sense, the graphic designer made a sticker this spring with a picture of a Canadian flag crushing a tractor-trailer and the words “Canada Take Back Your Flag” surrounding the image. At his wife’s behest, so as not to cast hints on all truckers, he added a misspelled Freedom Convoy stamp on the truck.
Crapnell’s scheme to reclaim what he thinks is the proper meaning of the flag garnered national interest. He says he’s sent almost 1,600 stickers nationwide. “Our flag has always had a prominence around the world of benevolence and tolerance and acceptance, and it hurt me to see that damaged,” said Crapnell.
As Canada Day comes, some groups linked to February’s rallies have promised to return to Ottawa, leading some to speak out about protesters with the convoy using the flag as their chosen symbol of protest.
Source – cbc.ca
