It's been burned and stepped on. Some people just leave it out for the sun and the wind to eventually ruin her. Last week, it was lowered, as it too often is, to mourn the death of a police officer killed in the act of duty.
Canada's Maple Leaf flag turns 50 years old today. Although it didn't make its official appearance until Feb. 15, 1965 on Parliament Hill, Queen Elizabeth, Canada's sovereign leader, proclaimed the twin red bars with the bold red maple leaf on white in the middle as Canada's official flag on Jan. 28, 1965.
Half a century later, the Maple Leaf flag has become a timeless piece of Canada and a testament to clean, elegant design and colour. For athletes and backpackers heading anywhere in the world, the red maple leaf instantly identifies the wearer as Canadian, not just to fellow Canadians but to the world. It suggests modern Canada only, defiantly avoiding any historical or religious references or any connection to British ancestry found in many provincial flags and in the flags of many Commonwealth nations.
In a country with few symbols of national identify and pride, the red maple leaf is distinctly Canadian in style. After all, who could hate a leaf? Well, unless that leaf is blue and says "Toronto Maple Leafs" in white letters in the middle, then feel free to heap scorn and derision on the wearer. A red maple leaf is more understated, more Canadian, than the red cross of St. George on the Union Jack or the red stripes and white stars on the American flag. It's much more peaceful than the Kalashnikov rifle, better known as the AK-47, on the flag of Mozambique.
Yet the red maple leaf's boldness is also somewhat un-Canadian in its appearance. That striking red is patriotic and tells the viewer "yeah, I'm Canadian, eh? Got a problem with that?" There's nothing "hey, excuse me, sorry about that" about it.
For any Canadian who has travelled internationally, she's both an introduction ("hi, there, I'm Canadian") and a shield ("don't be fooled by the accent - I'm not American").
The only complaint to make about the Maple Leaf (and it's a minor one) is that it represents Eastern Canada in general, and Ontario and Quebec in particular, far better than it symbolizes western and northern Canada. Maple trees are not to be found north of the 60th parallel and the maples that produce those stunning red leaves (and tasty maple syrup) are in short supply west of Sudbury. Still, the Maple Leaf is a fine symbol for all of Canada's forests, which cover most of the land except for the eastern and high Arctic.
National symbols like the Maple Leaf and the Canadian flag are also lightning rods for the discontent. All national flags are have been used for pride and of protest. The Canadian flag is no different and has been desecrated many times in the past and it will be again in the future. Everyone from Quebec nationalists to First Nations to anti-abortionists have burned the flag at one time or another to show their anger to the rest of the country. They do so because they recognize that most Canadians, even the ones with no religious beliefs, see the Maple Leaf and the flag as sacred. The criticism isn't on Canada, it's on what Canada represents and there's no better (and peaceful) way to attack on what Canada represents than to desecrate the symbol that represents Canada and Canadians.
Along with pride and protest, the Maple Leaf and the Canadian flag has been and continues to be a powerful way to articulate national sadness and grief. Adult Canadians are immediately respectful and solemn at the sight of a flag flying at half-mast to mark the deaths while in uniform of RCMP officers and members of the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as prominent citizens. Canadian children learn at an earlier age that a flag at half-mast is a sign that something sad and tragic has happened.
Like all great symbols, the Maple Leaf is somehow big enough to represent such a large country and the history, values and spirit of so many diverse inhabitants, whoever they are and wherever they live. The very sight of it fills the citizens of other countries with longing to live in such a peaceful, tolerant place and fills the citizens of Canada with a sense of identity and pride.
It may be 50 years old but the flag's anniversary today shows its timelessness as an ageless symbol of who we are and how we see ourselves. That's something worth standing on guard for.
