Justin Trudeau has said that he plans to keep Canadian flags on federal buildings at half-mast until it’s appropriate to raise them again.
The national flag of Canada was lowered on federal buildings months ago to pay respect to the indigenous children found in unmarked graves at former residential school sites.
“I think Canadians have seen with horror those unmarked graves across the country and realize that what happened decades ago isn’t part of our history. It is an irrefutable part of our present,” Trudeau said.
The decision to return the flags to full mast will be made by the Prime Minister on the advice of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and recommendations from the Clerk of the Privy Council. However, no one knows when that will be as no specific timelines have been given.
“Unlike [Conservative Leader, Erin] O’Toole, who will do it whenever he feels like it, I will continue to put reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in the hands of Indigenous peoples,” Trudeau concluded.
Every Canadian understands that the discovery of indigenous children in unmarked graves is abhorrent. It is a dark chapter in our country’s history and must be acknowledged, respected and never forgotten.
However, there is a difference between this and the constant denigration of our country’s national symbol and flag. How long must Trudeau shame our nation by constantly displaying our maple leaf at half-mast? And what does it accomplish? Does it bring back the children who lost their lives, or rectify the wrongs of our past? Hardly.
This is nothing more than a publicity stunt and a typical tactic of the Trudeau Liberals to shame our nation and “rub our faces in it”. All Canadians and indigenous people can work together to ensure the abhorrent actions of the past never happen again, but denigrating our flag and national symbol with an eternal half-mast status is not the way to do it.
(Photo credit: The Toronto Star)
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