Canadians reclaim Maple Leaf flag amid Trump threats

Hand painted arms signifying Canada's racial diversity are displayed on a home on Canada Day in Airdrie, Alta., Wednesday, July 1, 2020.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

As Canada marks another birthday, a subtle but noticeable shift in patriotism is taking place. One that experts say not just reflects pride, but also complexity, critique and quiet defiance.

Recent political rhetoric from south of the border, including U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments about annexing Canada, has stirred something among Canadians. More flags are flying, locally made goods are being sought out, and some are rethinking travel across the border.

“There has definitely been a surge of patriotism,” Matthew Hayday, professor and chair of the Department of History at the University of Guelph, said in an email to CTVNews.ca. “And it is a defensive form of nationalism … [that] results from Canada seeming to be under threat from a country we have thought of for many decades as a close ally.”

For Bradley Miller, associate professor at the University of British Columbia, this resurgence is about more than just outside pressure.

“We should also see what’s going on right now in relation to where our national mood has been for the last few years,” he said in an email to CTVNews.ca. “All of this dampened many Canadians’ belief in the goodness of this country.”

He points to a long list of issues that have challenged national pride: the aftermath of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, allegations of unmarked graves at residential schools, a strained housing market, and divisions over COVID-19 policies and federal leadership.

“So, you could argue that what’s happening right now is both a surge in patriotism and a right-sizing of it,” Miller says. “We’re emerging from some of the fog that we’ve been in about our country for at least half a decade, though no one knows how long this will last.”

Reclaimed flag

One of the clearest signs of this shift is the Maple Leaf flag. Once seen by some as a symbol co-opted by the Freedom Convoy movement, the flag is now being embraced by a broader group of Canadians.

“I do think that the current moment has meant that the Maple Leaf flag has been reclaimed for mainstream Canadians,” Hayday says. “Flying the flag is no longer raising the same sorts of suspicions that the person displaying it harbours sympathies for right-wing causes.”

He adds that the impact of this moment goes beyond symbols — it’s influencing how Canadians shop, where they travel, and how they express pride in more personal ways.

‘Voluntary patriotism’

Miller says Canadian nationalism has often taken a quieter form, something he sees as a defining trait.

“Ours is a quiet, pragmatic, and voluntary patriotism,” Miller says. “Lots of Canadians are enormously proud of this country that don’t own any clothing emblazoned with a Maple Leaf and would never put up a flag on their porch.”

He notes that even in 1867, opposition to Confederation was strong. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia elected anti-Confederation governments, and provinces like British Columbia and Prince Edward Island only joined later, when they had little choice. Others, particularly Indigenous peoples, did not view themselves as part of Canada at all.

“Our regional identities are often stronger than our national one,” Miller says. “Canadians can choose for themselves how much to celebrate their country, or whether to do so at all. To my mind, that’s one of the things that makes our country great.”

Reflection as well as celebration

While recent years have seen calls to “cancel” Canada Day, particularly after the treatment of Canada’s Indigenous people under the residential school system — Hayday says those critiques are less prominent this year.

“I think those critiques have not been as visible this year, possibly because of the extent to which Canadians want to celebrate their country,” he says.

Still, Hayday believes Canada Day remains a moment for reflection as well as celebration.

“There are aspects of the country’s history and its present incarnation that are worth celebrating, but there are also ongoing problems,” he says. “Not all people here share the same positive experiences of the country, especially Indigenous peoples.”