On a good day in February, Debbie Hartren may sell one Canadian flag at a workshop in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Currently, daily sales reach around 300 flags, which doesn't count her bigger online business.
President Trump's plan to impose tariffs on Canadian exports is seen as a catastrophic threat to many Canadian businesses and workers. His trade warnings, coupled with repeated calls to the US and annexation into Canada, have made the country's flag bearer struggle to keep up with the sudden surge in demand.
“That's amazing, isn't it?” said Hartren, who owns the flag shop Nova Scotia. “Thank you, Trump. Who thought we were saying that?”
Renewed interest in the Canadian maple leaf flag, supported by fierce opposition to Trump's idea of making it a economic threat, is that the red and white Canadian flag is 60 It happens as the anniversary comes.
And for a country where flag swings are less of a part of life than the US and flags are generally less visible, the revival of Canadian patriotism Trump fuel has revived the image of the Canadian flag.
Maple Leaf flags often flying upside down or from hockey sticks will be used by protesters who occupy and paralyze Canadian capital Ottawa for about a month in 2022 in response to Covid restrictions It has become a symbol of
As a result, many Canadians have avoided displaying flags because of concern that they would be considered to support the protest.
However, things began to change as Canada's flag day, celebrated on February 15th, approached. Usually, it's hardly noticed that day. This time, five former prime ministers “show Canadians an unprecedented flag” against the backdrop of tariff threats and Trump's criticism of Canada, including calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Governor Trudeau. I called it.
The government held a 60th birthday celebration. This included skaters who raised huge flags on Ottawa's 19th century canals, which doubled as a giant ice skating rink during the winter. And across the country, Canadians do not do much: flying flags outside their homes.
Quebec-based company L'étendard Flags and Banners has posted about 25,000 Canadian flags in the federal government and another 10,000 flags to other customers, leading up to Canada Day on July 1st. Use slow winter seasons to accumulate stock. .
With demand for the flag this year, the company may need to hire extra workers to deal with the surge, said Mario Trahan, one of the company's owners.
“We have a peak just before July 1st, but it's always the same pattern every year,” said Trahan, who has been in the FLAG business for 30 years. “But we haven't seen a rush like this.”
Before the current version of the flag was adopted, Canada spent almost a century trying to create and agree to the flag, not carried over from the past as a British colony.
“Canadians in particular in the UK have been split on their identity,” said Forest Pass, a vexylologist or FLAG scholar at the National Archives Library and Archives. “The identity of the British empire was still very close.”
The result was that Canada first used the British Union Jack. In 1892, the Royal Navy Headquarters officially granted Canadian commercial vessels a red flag known as the Canadian Red Sign.
Soon, the Canadian Red Sign was used on land, especially by the military during World War I, before it acquired its official status in 1946.
Many Canadians saw the red sign primarily as “owner of the place,” said Dr. Path, whose paper is featured on the flag.
Various committees at different times thought they had proposed thousands of Canadian flags, including one, Dr. Pas said they featured a woman in a bikini.
“It was like the cottage industry, it was the production of new flag designs,” he said.
But it was Nobel Peace Prize winner Leicester B. Pearson for his work in solving the Suez crisis and past liberal prime ministers who ultimately chose single maple leaf design.
However, that was a huge selling point at first. The debate in Parliament was described by one historian as “in the most gli-like thing in the history of the House” due to strong opposition from members of Parliament to dilute British heritage.
But once the debate was resolved and the design was approved, Canadians were soon warmed to the new flag, Dr. Pas said.
During the Vietnam War, especially given strong opposition to the Canadian war, there is an anecdotal story of American travelers sewing patches of maple leaves into their backpacks before heading abroad. there is.
But the protests in Ottawa, which became known as a trucker fleet, show that most Canadians were strongly opposed, but they have hurt the country's romance with the flag.
“The school has been working hard to understand,” said Heather Nicole, director of the Canadian School of Studies at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. “Many people felt like they didn't know if they wanted to see that flag or fly it.” ”
Still, in one of the Ottawa neighborhoods that endured the split-ear, squealing the corners of the late night air in protest against truck drivers, Sam Hudson opened 15 years ago after moving from Jordan. The four Canadian flags that mostly cover the windows of the film did not fall. (In honor of his first client, there is also a Scottish flag in the window.)
“I kept them because they are icons for our country,” Hudson said. “It's not a symbol of any particular people. I respect this flag. It's the symbol of the 40 million people living on this land.”
Now, with Trump's abolition of Canada, Hudson said he hopes more Canadians will follow their example and start displaying flags.
“Anywhere, anytime, all year round,” Hudson said before heming his pants. “This is our ID.”
