I had another topic in mind when I sat down to write this column but that changed when I was preparing for it and reread a couple of comments that were, to me, of far more consequence and importance than what I was planning to write.
One of those comments said that the “flag issue” has proven to be no more than a tempest in a teapot. Another stated that when our house is on fire, we have more important things to worry about than the flag on the front porch.
I beg to differ in both instances.
This Thursday we will once again pause to remember and to honour the thousands upon thousands of Canadians, of many cultural backgrounds, who gave their lives in multiple conflicts. They fought and died for Canada, for the preservation of our freedoms, and for our right to determine our own destiny as a democratic nation. With due respect, there is no situation that is more important to remember and to honour.
One time-tested way we show our respect and our sorrow, when it is appropriate, is to lower our national flag to signal nation-wide grief and remembrance. We did this for the Indigenous children who never came home from residential schools, and we will most appropriately do that for generations to come every September 30. We also lower our flag when people with extraordinary and distinguished service to Canada pass away. And we lower it every year as an integral part of our recognition and remembrance of those who have fought and died for our freedom and under our flag.
But that was almost not going to happen this year because a flag cannot be lowered until it is first raised, and our prime minister declared that our flag would remain indefinitely at half-mast until Indigenous leaders said it could be raised. He and he alone allowed our flag, the symbol of our sovereignty, to be used as a bargaining tool and to be effectively held hostage. That is not a tempest in a teapot to be quickly forgotten or forgiven.
Ironically, it is the Indigenous people in Canada who came to the rescue in fully honouring on November 11 those who fought and died for our country. It was not the prime minister. It was not the Canadian government. It was a Mohawk Indigenous community that was the first to say that our flag should be raised so that it can be lowered on Remembrance Day.
I found it extremely uncomfortable, if not embarrassing, to hear the prime minister say that his government was working closely with Indigenous groups “to find a solution to raising flags”. It appeared he was going hat in hand to get back something he should never have given away in the first place.
And, again, it was Indigenous people who came to the rescue. Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, RoseAnne Archibald, recognized that this issue that was foisted upon them was not a winner and needed to be resolved or it would eventually negatively affect her people. We do not know, and may not ever know fully, what the final deal was but she moved quickly and decisively to avoid protracted and unnecessary tensions. Our flag will fly high again.
A national flag is much more than simply a logo. It is a mark of sovereignty and a hallmark of pride. It is flown and worn by many because we love our country and are proud to be Canadians. To lower our flag indefinitely, as our prime minister attempted to do, surpassed regret and sorrow and bordered on collectively hanging our heads in shame. I am not aware of any other country in the entire world that has done that.
I am concerned that lately, on many issues, we are being emboldened to embrace a culture of shame—shame for our past and shame for many of the paths we are following today. It seems to me that we are continually apologizing for one thing or another and rarely celebrating our achievements or encouraging excellence in finding real solutions to complicated issues.
In terms of Canada, I do not accept that our house is on fire. It is true, we face many challenges: climate change, horrendous debt, outdated infrastructure, systemic poverty, and national disunity. But these issues will not be resolved by a sense of shame, by beating each other up, by making us feel badly about who we are or by insisting on ‘my way or the highway’ solutions.
It is my experience that we work best and achieve the most when we are positively motivated and not when we are hounded for failing. We have to feel good about ourselves, to believe in our ability to resolve issues that may appear to be insurmountable, and to take pride in what we accomplish. Our ‘house’ will never be on fire as long as we believe in ourselves and what we are capable of doing. We will never achieve that through a culture of shame.
I, for one, am proud to be a Canadian. Of course we have warts, but nevertheless for a relatively small country on the world stage, especially in terms of population, we continue to punch well above our weight. However, the more negative we become as a nation, the more we disrespect ourselves, the more we apologize and the less we actually achieve, the more our position of influence and leadership in the world will decline.
To succeed in the challenges we face, Canada must be a strong and proud nation. Our flag represents so much about who we are as Canadians and what we can accomplish together. To let down our flag is to let down Canada.
That is why I will always worry about the flag on the ‘front porch’ of our nation. Fire or no fire.
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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