Whatever else may be said about The Hon. Danny Williams, it appears he’s far from alone in his protest against the Government of Canada. It was recently reported that the municipal governments in St. John’s, Mount Pearl and Corner Brook had also removed the flag. And, today I read about a local company in Newfoundland had stopped sales of its Canadian themed swimwear.
The CEO of the company even posted a letter on the swimwear line’s website with some interesting comments. I won’t quote the whole letter (although I do suggest reading it), but I did want to include this portion:
I should temper this letter by saying that I completely understand that most of Canada does not receive a lot of education on Newfoundland. Being from Winnipeg originally, my move to Newfoundland in 1998 really opened my eyes. … This province has bent over and taken it from the feds for too long, and it is about time that someone stood up against it. I encourage everyone out there to read up on the subject, and not fall into the trap of believing stereotypes.
Of course, not everyone is happy about the situation. Many feel that it’s improper to use the Maple Leaf for partisan politics. But, regardless of what anyone thinks the national flag represents both the nation and the government. It’s difficult to truly protest the actions of the federal government while prominently displaying the chief symbol of its authority. (And, I must note, that it’s a little hypocritical for the leader of our present government to reprimand someone else for making the national flag a political tool. If it’s permissible to promote the federal government with the flag, I think it’s also okay to protest against that government with it.)
I may or may not post more about my own views of this situation, but at this point I will say that I’m happy to see the people of Newfoundland and Labrador asserting themselves about the offshore revenue issue. It’s clearly impossible to remove the Maple Leaf without angering many other Canadians. I would hope, however, that the majority will look past the flag and see the more important question. In the words of His Worship Andy Wells, Mayor of St. John’s, as reported by CTV.ca, “The majority of Newfoundlanders support Premier Williams’ position on this issue — it’s part of a larger problem we have with our whole relationship with Canada.”
Update (30 Jan 2005): The Unabashedly Canadian site was put back online as of 13 January 2005. The original letter was archived and I have changed the link above.
Newfoundland Resource Protest
Whatever else may be said about The Hon. Danny Williams, it appears he’s far from alone in his protest against the Government of Canada. It was recently reported that the municipal governments in St. John’s, Mount Pearl and Corner Brook had also removed the flag. And, today I read about a local company in Newfoundland had stopped sales of its Canadian themed swimwear.
The CEO of the company even posted a letter on the swimwear line’s website with some interesting comments. I won’t quote the whole letter (although I do suggest reading it), but I did want to include this portion:
Of course, not everyone is happy about the situation. Many feel that it’s improper to use the Maple Leaf for partisan politics. But, regardless of what anyone thinks the national flag represents both the nation and the government. It’s difficult to truly protest the actions of the federal government while prominently displaying the chief symbol of its authority. (And, I must note, that it’s a little hypocritical for the leader of our present government to reprimand someone else for making the national flag a political tool. If it’s permissible to promote the federal government with the flag, I think it’s also okay to protest against that government with it.)
I may or may not post more about my own views of this situation, but at this point I will say that I’m happy to see the people of Newfoundland and Labrador asserting themselves about the offshore revenue issue. It’s clearly impossible to remove the Maple Leaf without angering many other Canadians. I would hope, however, that the majority will look past the flag and see the more important question. In the words of His Worship Andy Wells, Mayor of St. John’s, as reported by CTV.ca, “The majority of Newfoundlanders support Premier Williams’ position on this issue — it’s part of a larger problem we have with our whole relationship with Canada.”
Update (30 Jan 2005): The Unabashedly Canadian site was put back online as of 13 January 2005. The original letter was archived and I have changed the link above.
This entry was written by the proprietor, posted on 31 December 2004 at 6:25 pm.
Filed under Commentary Unbound and tagged canada, energy, newfoundland and labrador, politics.
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