What do Canadians believe is a universal national sign of respect and when is it appropriate?
Once again our Canadian flag has become the subject of debate. News reports headlines the issue thus, “Tories appear set to lose vote on lowering flag for Afghan deaths - and ignore it”
The Canadian Press, April 1, 2008 quotes a current MP this way: "The question becomes: Who owns the flag on top of the Peace Tower? Since it's on top of Parliament, you would think it was Parliament and not the government."
The question for me is rather different. First I don’t believe our national flag is owned by any institution, it belongs to the people of Canada. It is a symbol that identifies our home. It is the one common symbol that we all recognize whether at home or anywhere in the world.
When a Canadian sees their flag flying at half staff they know the country is in mourning. Our nation has lost an important member of our community when we lose one of our soldiers . There can be no person, more important to the country, than one who has paid with their life in the service to that country. They lose it all. They lose their future. No more laughter, no more joy, no more adventures, no more war! They have volunteered to stand and defend Canada, they follow orders, they accept the conditions of their duty and what do they ask in return? What has any Canadian soldier asked of his fellow countrymen/women? Respect? If we do not respect them for their job, if we do not honour this profession than we ought to stop using them to do our dirty work!
If it is too much hardship to raise and lower the flag because we have too many occasions to do so, then perhaps we ought to consider why we have too many occasions? If that minor public declaration of sorrow is too great then I ask, ‘why are we putting so many in jeopardy’? How do we value those individuals who are serving this nation? If the Canadian people see their flag at half staff too often, they might begin to see the crisis of the nation (the loss of too many youth) and begin to ask the hard questions of those who make the decisions on our behalf.
If our soldiers serving in Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world on our behalf are not worthy of a lowered flag to show a minor nod to that sacrifice, then I must ask myself is their mission worthy of this country? I find it difficult to believe that this is even up for debate.
By and large Canadians still do not know why we are sending our sons and daughters to a foreign land. Many do not ‘support the troops’ because they fear its interpretation as support for the war and they abhor the war! If the government of Canada is not up to the task of acknowledging that supreme effort, how can they expect Canadians to honour it? If this mission is not a noble cause, not something the nation ought to be made aware of and the deaths of our youth not to be noticed, then why are we doing it?
yours respectfully
Catherine Whelan Costen
mother of a Canadian Soldier
Stumble It!