We live in the Canada of 2022, not 1880. And, while the holiday has changed over the years, Ottawa’s flag rules are trapped in a colonial time warp. It’s time to bring them up to date.

The meaning of today’s May holiday has evolved. At first, it marked the birth of Queen Victoria. Later, it was celebrated as “Empire Day”. That morphed into a holiday to cheer the birthday of the current monarch. So, while it’s now called “Victoria Day” by Ottawa and half the provinces, it’s actually the official birthday of Canada’s monarch -- not Britain’s. Same person, different crown. And the two countries mark the birthday on different dates. 

So it's bewildering that the Department of Canadian Heritage orders all federal buildings to fly the British flag on this day: at airports, military bases, federal courthouses, national parks, armouries, post offices, Coast Guard stations, RCMP posts, federal harbours, research stations...you name it! And, while the directive technically applies only to federal properties, provincial and municipal governments often take their cues from Ottawa on flag matters, magnifying the misstep.

So it's important the feds get it right. Flying the British flag confuses two distinct and legally separate crowns, makes us look like a British colony, and has us marking OUR holiday by flying the flag of a foreign realm. If any flag should fly on a Canadian holiday, for a “Canadian" monarch, it's Canada's, not another country's.

Moreover, today is National Patriots' Day in Quebec, honouring those who fought and died in the Rebellion of 1837 to give our nation democratic government, in direct opposition to the British crown. Flying British flags on the day is an affront to that worthy commemoration.

Let’s bring our flag rules out of the 1800s and into the 21st century. Ottawa should stop decreeing that British flags be unfurled, and use the Maple Leaf for the May 2-4 holiday. Let’s tell them so by signing and sharing this petition.