Dear editor,
I opened the Record today to find a double-page Indigenous Canadian flag enclosed as a symbol of Canada Day.
Whilst that flag is very striking and beautiful, I felt left out and alienated, as it represents only some Canadians and not the rest of us. The Canadian flag, as we all know it, with the solid red maple leaf and two solid red bars on a white background, is the official flag of Canada, and represents everyone in Canada no matter our race, religion, politics, age or sexual orientation! Whether we were born here or have chosen to make Canada our home. Everyone!
Canada Day is a day when Canadians from all walks of life, are meant to come together and celebrate our diverse cultures and the great and democratic country we live in. In the spirit of Canada Day, the official Canadian flag is the flag that should have been published in Record.
In this instance, the use of the Indigenous flag by the Record appears to be a deliberate and exploitive political statement and will only serve to foster continued divisiveness. This is the one day and occasion you should have left it alone. We all get it! This was unnecessary virtue signalling on a day when as one cohesive nation, we should be looking forward together, working on, and celebrating an equal, inclusive and collaborative future for our country and for each and every one of us!
Marie Eldridge,
Comox
