SUN EDITORIAL: Hoist our flag? Only if you love Canada, Himmelfarb’s call to action

We did as it was and is a good non-partisan initiative. The Sun’s take on what it means to love Canada (agree with many of the points listed, without necessarily some of the jingoist and partisan language):

Joe Clark, Jean Chretien, Kim Campbell, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper issued a statement urging Canadians to show some love for our country on Flag Day.

It’s something we should all get behind.

Unless, of course, you’re one of those people who told us not to celebrate Canada Day in 2021 because this country should be ashamed of its “genocidal” past.

This country has a proud history of upholding democratic rights and freedoms. Have we got it wrong at times? Sure. The answer isn’t to wallow in grief, but to move on with determination to do better.

Don’t wave the flag if you persist in calling people “settlers” or “colonialists.” For centuries, immigrants have come to this country from around the world seeking refuge from oppression, poverty, discrimination and war. Once they’re Canadians, that’s all they are. Calling them settlers is insulting and divisive. We’re all Canadians. Full stop.

Don’t wave the flag if you demand this country change the names of our schools and institutions to erase the history of those who built this country. Ironically, those who mock President Donald Trump for changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America think it’s just fine to arbitrarily rename our public infrastructure. They have a sketchy knowledge of history and use a flawed process.

Don’t wave the flag if you have wrecked a statue. You cannot simultaneously destroy the leaders and educators who built this land and pretend you’re honouring it.

If you’ve been on the streets of our cities for the last 18 months waving a Palestinian flag in support of Hamas, don’t now wave the Canadian one. Hamas is a culture of hatred, antisemitism and bigotry. Those aren’t Canadian values.

And don’t wave the flag if you have referred to this country as a “post-national state with no core identity.” We’re looking at you, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Over your nine years in office, you’ve turned this country into a place where those who wave the Canadian flag are arrested.

You may call it Turtle Island. We’ll call it Canada. It’s our home and native land. And, yes, we’re immensely proud to wave its flag.

Source: EDITORIAL: Hoist our flag? Only if you love Canada

On the left, Alex Himmelfarb, former Clerk, has a call for action:

This flag day is different. The threats of economic coercion from Trump and his gang of oligarchs are meant to intimidate and divide Canadians and subjugate Canada to the will of the US regime. Instead they have ignited a surge of patriotism rarely seen in Canada. 

Inevitably some voices argue for appeasement or at least negotiation but as Churchill once said, “You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth.” And someone else once said, I’m not sure who, “an appeaser is simply trying to convince the crocodile to eat them last.” In any case most Canadians seem to understand that this is a time to stand up for Canada and fight for our sovereign right to shape our own destiny, to say no to bullying, to stare down the threats even as we understand the risks. To cite one more wise soul, Bob Marley, “We never know how strong we are until being strong is our only choice.”

We can also draw some lessons on how to build the Canada we want as we witness the unraveling of democracy in the US and the assault on democracies everywhere, indeed the assault on the idea of democracy. We can see the dangers of a plutocracy in which a few individuals and corporations accumulate so much wealth and power that they can shape and pollute public discourse, use public institutions for their own purposes, influence world affairs, including war, and accumulate yet more wealth and power. We can see how paralyzing it is when our tools for self-governing, taxes, regulations, the state itself are demeaned and undermined. We can see the dangers to civilization and the planet when private interests trump the need to preserve the commons. We can see the horrible human costs of using hate and division to advance a political agenda. We can see the importance of robust inclusive democracy and strong countervailing institutions – unions, civil society organizations, social movements, the courts, a free press – to keep government in check. We can see the importance of international cooperation for climate action, for human rights, for peace and security.

Equality, inclusion, sustainability, solidarity – that’s what’s needed not simply to defend democracy we but to build the democracy we need, in our politics, in our workplaces, in our everyday lives. This is a time for building public power, for collective enterprise, for revitalizing industrial policy, for developing new forms of public ownership, for environmental stewardship and resolute action on the climate crisis, for strengthening the care economy, for building the social, cultural and economic infrastructure for a more resilient Canada, for taking the lead in a new internationalism. Over 65000 Canadians have so far signed the Canada pledge calling on our leaders – federal, provincial, indigenous, municipal – to work together to fight the threats and fight for the Canada we need.  Add your voice. Happy Canada Flag Day. 

Source: https://afhimelfarb.wordpress.com/2025/02/15/this-flag-day-is-different/