Brockville, Ont. resident receives Governor General’s medal for raising awareness about Canadian flag

A Brockville man was awarded the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers by the Governor General. CTV’s Jack Richardson explains why.

Brockville, Ont. resident Bob Harper received some new hardware at Rideau Hall last week.

Harper was awarded the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon for his work with the Canadian Flag Education Centre.

“Probably one of the most humbling things that I’ve ever done in my life or had occurred in my life,” Harper told CTV News Ottawa.

For 17 years, Harper has been working to spread awareness about the importance of the Canadian flag.

“It’s a symbol that has so much meaning to history and to the future,” he said.

Despite being rewarded for his work, Harper views it as more of a passion. The biggest testament to that passion is the role he played in bringing a massive Canadian flag to Brockville.

In the parking lot of SmartCentres, a strip mall that runs parallel to Highway 401, stands a 75-foot-tall Canadian flag. The cloth for the flag itself measures at 35 feet.

According to Harper, it’s the largest flying Canadian flag in the country. It includes a plaque that highlights the flag’s origins in the city of Brockville.

“A very special monument – plaque, flagpole and flag,” he said.

Harper has felt strongly about the Canadian flag his entire life, but recent political tensions with the United States mean it has taken on a new importance.

His wife, Sue Harper, thinks the flag is something Canadians can rally behind.

“We should be celebrating the fact that we have a wonderful country. Everybody in the world wants to come here because we’re such a great country, and we need to just be proud of it and be proud of our flag,” she said.