O'TOOLE: Time to raise the flag
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John Matheson was a war hero who almost died at the horrific Battle of Ortona during the Italian campaign. The only officer of his regiment to survive the Second World War, his battlefield injury impacted him for life, but did not stop him from becoming a lawyer, Member of Parliament, judge and early advocate for Canadians with disabilities. He was a remarkable Canadian and it is because of him that we have our flag today.
Matheson was charged by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson to bring people together to create a distinctive flag for Canada in the run-up to Canada’s centennial celebrations. He was a strategic choice by Pearson because the largest group opposing a new flag were veterans who had fought under the Red Ensign. Respected on all sides of the House of Commons, not even the harshest critic of Pearson’s flag initiative could question Matheson’s fidelity to Canada.
In 1993, a young Officer Cadet O’Toole was assigned to serve as an aide to John Matheson when he visited the Royal Military College (RMC) to receive an honorary degree and give the convocation address. Matheson’s final design for Canada’s flag had its origins in the RMC flag, so it was remarkable for me to speak with him about the creation of the flag I had lived under my entire life. His convocation speech touched on duty, loyalty and the exceptional nature of Canada as a country, reminding the audience that “(a) country is far more than real estate; it is also a state of mind.”
Canadians are proud of our country despite its tragic history and present imperfections. We are proud of our flag and what it represents. Some of us have had the honour to wear the flag on our military uniform or while competing on the world stage. Some of us have witnessed new Canadians with tears in their eyes standing in front of their new flag as they recite the citizenship oath. All of us wear Canada’s flag, in our own way, through our liberties, shared citizenship and our commitment to one another.
Canada’s flag has been at half-mast for over five months. It was appropriate to lower the flag to recognize our tragic history of residential schools and the unspeakable trauma it has caused for generations of Indigenous peoples in Canada. The graves uncovered in Kamloops, Cowessess and other former residential school sites remind us of that deep scar in our history as a country. It was not appropriate, however, to lower the flag without some form of protocol or plan to restore Canada’s most important national symbol back to its rightful place. To paraphrase John Matheson, our flag is not just a piece of fabric, it is a state of mind for Canadians.
We need to raise our flag. We should raise it with the start of Remembrance Week. An opportunity to raise the flag after the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30 was missed because of the personal conduct of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but we now have an appropriate window to show respect for our veterans, including the inspiring service of Indigenous veterans.
As we raise our flag again, we must also raise our collective effort towards reconciliation as a country. We can move swiftly on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action that deal directly with the trauma of missing children and former residential school sites and the creation of a national monument in Ottawa to serve as a permanent reminder of the tragic history and present-day impact of residential schools. Let us move forward together as Canadians and not allow symbolic gestures to be a substitute for the serious and concrete action we need to take as a country.
With the start of Remembrance Week, let’s raise Canada’s flag alongside our renewed commitment to both remembrance and reconciliation.
— Erin O’Toole is Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
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