Convoy, federal government have shifted some people’s perspectives on the Canadian flag: survey

The Canadian flag has been wrapped around Olympic athletes, pinned on the lapels of new Canadians as they took their citizenship oaths and stitched on backpacks as young Canadians head out into the world.

As with all flags, it represents the country and what it stands for. But in recent years, some people's perspectives on that meaning have shifted.

From the discovery of potential unmarked graves at former residential schools sites, to the ever present Canadian flags on trucks during the freedom convoy protests, the concepts of patriotism and Canadian identity have changed for some people. Some find it problematic, while others are more proud to be Canadian than they have ever been.

A recent survey done by The Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research (CHASR) at the University of Saskatchewan, in partnership with CBC Saskatchewan, found that the vast majority — almost 80 per cent — of respondents think favourably of the Canadian flag. However, one-third of the respondents said their stance had changed one way or the other in recent years.

CBC Saskatchwan's phone-in show radio show Blue Sky featured a discussion on the Canadian flag this week. Guests and callers spoke with host Garth Materie about what the flag means to them.

Kerry Benjoe, a journalist and editor at Eagle Feather News who attended the last residential school in Canada in Lebret, Sask., said her feelings toward the flag and Canada as a whole have changed in recent years.

"Right after the discovery at Kamloops, I was at my daughter's graduation and they allowed for a moment of silence for the children that didn't make it home from residential school. And right after that they played O Canada," Benjoe said.

"They had these images of beautiful Canada on the screen, and at that moment I sat down, because it just brought home the reality that that is the Canada everybody else gets to enjoy."

Marcel Halle, a military veteran, said he is a proud Canadian who has worn the Canadian flag on his uniform every day at work.

Halle was in Ottawa during the freedom convoy demonstrations.

"When you'd see the Canadian flag flying [on trucks], it just brought a real angry feeling and it was unnatural and I thought geez, how can I be angry at the Canadian flag," he said. "It was a really unfortunate sentiment."

A protester waves a Canadian flag in front of parked vehicles on Rideau Street on the 15th day of a protest against COVID-19 measures that has grown into a broader anti-government protest, in Ottawa, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. (The Canadian Press)

Almost a quarter of respondents to the CHASR survey said their feelings about the flag had changed negatively. They were then asked why that was the case.

Approximately two-thirds of the people whose views had changed negatively expressed that the freedom convoy movement was hijacking or co-opting the flag, and that its stances were inconsistent with their personal views and understanding of what Canada represents.

Meanwhile, 15 per cent of them said they feel the current federal government is embarrassing or doesn't represent their values.

Perry Ksyniuk from Prince Albert told Blue Sky that whilethe flag was being flown as a protest at convoy demonstrations, it was also being used as a symbol of pride.

"The intent of the freedom protest was to plan the Canadian flag with pride, to say we're Canadians and we shouldn't have our rights trampled on. Now that is an opinion of a certain group of people. It's not everybody and I'm not saying it was right or wrong, but we have the right to demonstrate," Ksyniuk said.

Trent Watts in Saskatoon spoke about his decision a few years ago to put up a flag at the little free libraries he runs in the community.

"One time one of the libraries, the flagpole was completely ripped off and gone and I found it in the back alley a few weeks later and put it back up, then another flagpole I had at the little free library was stolen," Watts said.

"Then I put another one up and someone came and they took the flag pole and just completely broke it off and damaged the base of the library," he said. "So I feel kind of defeated. I feel like I just am not going to put the flagpole on little free libraries and I'm really sad about that."

Jason Desano, director of the CHASR at the University of Saskatchewan, said he wasn't surprised to see that some people perspectives on the flag have shifted.

"I think there has been quite a bit of discussion and debate, both on social media and in media itself, around the Canadian flag and the impact of things like both government policy and things like the freedom convoy on the Canadian flag," he said.

The CHASR survey collected answers from 430 Saskatchewan residents from June 1 to June 12, 2023. The survey was conducted online, but for a comparable telephone survey, the margin of error for a sample of this size is plus or minus 4.7 per cent, 19 times out of 20.