There鈥檚 a direct correlation between the call of five former prime ministers calling on Canadians to fly the maple leaf for Flag Day and a flurry of activity at both a shop in Victoria, and a subscription service in Oak Bay.

There was a small sales bump in response to U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 promise of tariffs on Canadian goods and services, says Freyja Zazu, manager of The Flag Shop Victoria.

But the Feb. 11 call by former prime ministers to mark the 60th anniversary of the Canadian flag on Feb. 15 initiated a spike in customers.

鈥淯sually our high season is in the middle of summer around Canada Day 鈥� it鈥檚 feeling like that level. Normally we鈥檙e quite quiet in the winter,鈥� Zazu said.

Joan Peggs is 鈥減retty sure鈥� that news planted the seed for a flurry of new subscribers to the Rotary Club of Oak Bay flag program.

For $55, Rotary volunteers install Canadian flags in celebration of Victoria Day, Canada Day and Labour Day on lawns across the Capital Region 鈥� removal included.

Currently at 550 subscribers, the club normally starts with Victoria Day in May. This year, the celebration starts early with Flag Day.

鈥淚 think the impetus is starting to hit people,鈥� Peggs said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e putting as many of our flags up as possible for Saturday. This is a one-off obviously.鈥�

The response also highlights continued campaigns by residents to buy local and celebrate all things Canadian as a response to U.S. leadership concerns.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been really exciting to see all these people come in and buying flags,鈥� said Zazu, who noticed one other trend. 鈥淭hey want them to be made in Canada which is really nice.鈥�

Fortunately, with sewing on site, The Flag Shop Victoria won鈥檛 run out of flags any time soon, though some sizes and styles may dwindle in stock.

Zazu likens the positive vibe to the days when the masses supported health care and other essential workers with heart flags.

鈥淚 guess the good thing is we鈥檙e all coming together.鈥�

Rotarians will madly plant as many Canada flags as possible across the region, and Zazu plans to head out and document the anticipated wave of red and white on Feb. 15.

鈥淚 want to drive around and walk around and see all the flags everywhere. It鈥檚 going to be exciting to see so many Canadian flags out.鈥�

Visit flagshopvictoria.ca to check out flag availability or register for the Rotary subscription service by emailing obrflags@gmail.com.

Ahead by a century

Anyone with 100 years on their hands can get on the list for a free Canada flag courtesy of the federal government.

Canadian residents can request a free flag that has flown on Parliament Hill by adding their name to a waiting list. Due to high demand, only one flag is given per person and household. Flags cannot be sent outside of Canada. 

The waiting period for both the Peace Tower and other Parliament Hill flags currently exceeds 100 years.