The Canadian Flag

Forty-one years ago today, the late Right Honourable Lester Pearson succeeded in having the Red Maple Leaf adopted as the new symbol, and the National Flag, of Canada. Despite a strong Conservative Opposition in the House of Commons (who, on that note, favoured by majority for the retention of the Union Jack as our flag), the then-Prime Minister succeeded in this endeavour in a Minority situation.

The idea was incredibly controversial at the time.

But hey; I, for one, adore our Red Maple Leaf.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Edit Added a poll; corrected two typos.

Actually it was between the Conservative Loyalists who wanted to keep the Red Ensign over the new Maple Leaf flag posed by Pearson's Liberals.

Five flags have flown for Canada since it was colonized
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Personally I always found the flag to simplistic for my taste, but that is my taste. I am proud of it but I wish their was more strength to it.

I like our flag. It is simple, and is recognised all over the world. It truly is our flag.

http://tinyurl.com/cvzjf

can't say i really care as i don't wrap myself in flags.

Most people don't wrap themselves in the flag. I have a feeling that patriotism is not a favourite word of yours either. I have been here probably about thirty years longer than you have, and while that doesn't make me smarter by any stretch, I did grow up in a time when the flag meant a lot more than it apparently does to some people today.

I remember when the flag was raised for the first time, I was in elementary school. Man, the people who didn't like the new flag were just having fits (my parents among them). People called it a dishrag. Still, as we stood in the school yard, I felt a real surge of pride. I love our flag, and I love that I was there the day it was raised for the first time.

indeed juan,

patriotism, fanaticism, and other forms of emotional allegences are not words that describe me.

I place no value on the arbitrary, artifical constructs of man.

I would not consider myself to be an overly patriotic person. I don't sing "O Canada!" in school (then again, nobody does — we just hear the recording over the PA system), and I do not have the Constitution Acts memorized (I am getting there, though!).

However, I would stand up for Canada any day.

But isn't there a difference between patriotism and nationalism?

I tend to define patriotism strictly as "love of ones country", nationalism being defined as "a belief in the moral superiority of one country over another or others". I'd be curious to know how you define these terms.

As for me, earth is my country.

You're memorising the Constitutional Acts? Man, that's not a Canadian, that's a Canadianist, an adherent of the Canadian religion. There, now we can add a new word to the dictionary.

Ah! I like that idea!

His Excellency, the Founder of the Canadianist Faith.

Haha. There we go, good stuff. =D

Seriously, though, it's just for debate on CC.net! I hate having to go back and forth between Canadian Content and the Ministry of Justice Web site to back up my arguments! It'd be nice if I could quote the Constitution off the top of my head. lol

Patriotism needn't be fanatical. Being proud of your country while being aware of all it's warts is probably healthy. I don 't know why I'm writing this. I know I won't convert you and my own opinions will not likely change. I will leave it at that.

I don't wrap myself in the flag either, nor do I generally make much noise about being Canadian, but sometimes it's important. I once spent a fairly long time working in Cairo (Egypt, not Illinois), and the place was fascinating, but staggeringly alien. At the end of it, at the airport waiting for that Air Canada 747 to come and take me home, I remember sitting in the departure lounge feeling more relaxed than I had for months. And when the plane pulled up to the gate and I saw that big stylized flag on the tail... well, I choked up a bit. One of my several sisters, who spent six months living in France and two years living in Britain, reports the same sensations about finally coming home.

There's just no place like home. Sometimes you have to leave it to really appreciate that. The flag is a symbol of all that's most familiar and dear to me. Ideally that's what every nation's flag means to its citizens. It's a symbol of home and comfort and familiarity. And that's all it is. It's not sacred, or holy, or sacrosanct, if some people want to burn it or trample it that's okay, I don't care, doesn't affect what it means to me.

But if you burn it in my yard, you're in big trouble. I own firearms...

Dexter Sinister, that quite simply wouldn't do!

We can't have one of our Directors in prison!

Use something quieter.

juan,
its just a conversation, not an attempt to convert!
but if i were to be into flags, then how many should i follow? for one land, for homelands, for branch ancestory, to adopt a region,... is it one is one too many and 1000 is not enough?

dex,
remember the old saying about you can never go back? my memories are tied not to nationality but to nature. As such, earth is my home. I have places on it i enjoy and places i have a distaste and not arbitrarily represented by "nationhood" or other flags of convenence. There is too much to enjoy to draw lines around one area and call attach sentimentality to it. It is all of one anyway, With the rot you appreciate the ripe.

That sir, is gobbledygoop to anyone who is not a self proclaimed citizen of the world. Dex put it best. The flag I'm talking about is the flag of the country I was born in, the country I grew up in, the place where my family and friends are. That flag is a symbol of all that's most familiar and dear. I truly feel sorry for anyone who doesn't have that.

My family and friends are scattered all over the globe. My familiarities lie in all of nature, in gaia. I was born and grew up on earth, not in a geopolitical confine. Such symbolisms are nostalgic and I look forward, not back.

Good points Caracal Kid...

The flag is just another artificial divide in a world overrun by humans in my opinion.

The Olympics are a tremendous waste of resources in the name of "nationalistic pride".

What do we accomplish by defeating other nations with our technology, skills or ritualized combat? In a fanatic system of one team of driver ants versus another I choose not to participate.

Faith in a flag which has no inherent agreed upon meaning is just as stupid as faith in a religion. Both can cause irrational behaviour and only serves to further sever man from realizing that nature is what gives him life.

In Canada we measure success by a GDP which is how much economic growth there was in a year. Economic growth is the product of population growth and consumption growth. In a world of finite resources, this deadly formula is setting us up for a mass die off.

We are no better than bacteria growing in a petri dish.

With that sort of an attitude,why don't you just end it all now?

Flags generally represent ideals and unity, I see nothing wrong with this symbolism.

I like the flag, but I liked the one with the blue flaged one that was pearson's wanted.

The blue, white and little red maple leaf. I liked that one more.

Noble ideals Kid, which by and large I share, but reality has a way of intruding on idealism. There's a certain value in the comfortable and familiar places where you know the rules, and there is such a thing as culture shock. In a certain strict sense you're right, I can never go home again, because both my parents are gone, my siblings are scattered, and there's someone else living in the house we grew up in. (And they've painted it a bilious vomit green with diaper brown trim, the swine.) But in terms of cultural familiarity and fitting in and knowing my way around, I can indeed go home again.

As long as we're swapping old sayings: home is where the heart is. Mine's here in Canada.

If that was the case, Jersay, the Liberals might feel less compelled to wrap themselves in the flag at every photo opportunity....

Flags

The beauty of a flag is the different meanings to so many people - and even to those who find no meaning whatsoever. If it ever reached the point of insignificance, then it would be time for concern.

I think as humans we all have a desire to belong - to proclaim love for a certain piece of space on our planet - and the flag gives us
a silent and symbolic way to declare that affinity and love.

It also gives us meaning as a people. Whatever feelings seeing the flag brings to you, indicates to me - the flag is doing its job.

Respect it and guard it and let it unify all under its protective cover.

Nicely put. You're no child.

I love the Canadian Flag, it is distinct from other flags, it is bold and powerful, yet simple. The symbolism used represents us all. I feel great pride whenever I see it.

Well, that's good; it is poor flag etiquette to do so.

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What do you guys usually do on flag day? Hang flags out of your homes?

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We don't do enough. Flag Day has only been around officially since 1996.