Many Centennial residents proudly flew their Canadian flags on flag day , February 15
By Kathryn Stocks
The world has changed quite a bit since our last issue, and there will undoubtedly be more unsettling news to come. I’m writing, of course, about the sudden hostility from our southern neighbour with the threats of tariffs and annexation. The only positive aspect of this change is that Canadians are becoming more patriotic than they’ve been in a long time.
On February 15, people across the country and here in Centennial proudly flew their Canadian flags, which stood out against the backdrop of large white snow banks. It was a quintessentially Canadian moment that was spurred by a request from all of the country’s living former prime ministers. Joe Clark, Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper wrote an open letter asking Canadians to fly the flag that day to display their national pride.
It was the 60th anniversary of our distinctive red-and-white maple leaf flag, which was made official by a proclamation from Queen Elizabeth II on January 28, 1965. On February 15 of that year it was inaugurated in a public ceremony on Parliament Hill. National Flag of Canada Day was later proclaimed on February 15, 1996.
Most of the time, Canadians aren’t as enthusiastic about flag-waving as some in other countries are, so it was a pleasure to see so many flags being displayed across the community that weekend.
At the same time, there has been a push to “Buy Canadian,” which isn’t always easy but it can be done. We’ve all tried to buy local products for years, so buying Canadian is just taking it a step further. But with all of the country’s free trade agreements, it’s become harder to find stuff that’s made here. To help you out, we’re starting a new series on this topic. See our centre pages for the first of our suggestions along with some Canadian travel destinations.
We’re hoping to add to this list in the coming months, so if you’d like to share your favourite Canadian products with us at editor@ccranews.com, we’ll be happy to print them.
As we get tossed around on this turbulent sea in the months to come, take heart with the words Governor-General Mary Simon wrote on February 15: “Everything that our flag stands for today was shaped by the dreams and achievements of a remarkable nation. Our flag embodies a history that has been written in Canadian lives. People that aspired for peace, democracy, liberty, collaboration, reconciliation – values that define and unite us as Canadians today.”