As we find ourselves now facing the tempestuousness and outright threats to our country’s sovereignty and to the very core of the world order, it is our time to be strong, to be courageous and to be CANADIAN! Success is ours to claim. And, that success will result from the relentless accumulation of small effects that grow into a critical mass that becomes invincible. It starts with each of us.
It is time to take the threats and bluster blowing across our land from the south and turn them into fuel to propel our actions. Yes, buy Canadian! Yes, forsake the temptations of sun and warmth in the deep south and explore the greatness that is Canada! Stand and sing our National Anthem with pride and resolve! Fly the Canadian flag as it was intended – not as a symbol of anti-national contempt but as a reclaimed symbol of our patriotic pride! Turn the bully’s taunts into the seeds of those small effects that, cumulatively, will underpin our critical mass of the True North Strong and Free and show those to the south of our border that we remain invincible to the intentions of the bully.
At this time of economic onslaught with decrees from a despotic president that we are not a viable country and should become a 51st state, we should be questioning why our town continues to fly the U.S. flag from the 2010
G8 Summit flagstaffs located at the intersection of West Road and Centre Street. A precedent has been set with the removal of the Russian flag for obvious reasons. Yet, we continue to have to drive past the stars and stripes full well knowing that that country’s leadership, beyond disparaging our Canadian identity, has openly attacked the sovereignty of Greenland with threats of taking over that nation. That country’s leadership has had the audacity to ridicule and belittle Ukraine’s President with an end-game of taking his nation’s minerals. That country’s leadership has proposed to oust the Palestinians from Gaza with an eye on making the land a trumped-up Riviera. That country’s leadership has chosen to rename the Gulf of Mexico and to set its sights on taking over the Panama Canal. That country’s leadership has moved to trash the rights of women to be in charge of their own bodies. That country’s leadership has decreed that there will be only two genders thereby declaring that individuals living under the canopy of LGBTQ+ are being denied their dignity and rights as human beings. That country’s leadership has chosen to remove the safety net of Diversity/Equity/Inclusion from hiring practices. That country’s leadership has chosen to form their own line of oligarchs to oversee the dismantling of working-class pride. That country’s leadership has even openly aligned its policy structure with the country that used to occupy our Town’s now-vacant flagpole.
I recently had communication with a number of our local Town and District Councillors in order to seek reasons why the U.S. flag continues to fly as an affront to our Canadian principles and sovereignty. One indicated that he did not have the ability to enforce that the flag be removed. Another flat out stated that “We remain hopeful for a positive resolution [viv-a-vis the tariffs], and at this time, will not be removing the U.S. flag from Town facilities.” Yet another councillor, who revealed that he was “disgusted by what is going on down south”, is “hesitant to take the flag down” because he “has met a lot of great Americans. Many have bought properties here, relocated permanently or spend a lot of time visiting. They are taxpayers in our town and they bring a lot of business to the local community. While I have a major problem with the administration, I don’t have a problem with all American people…While I agree that taking the flag down could send a strong message, I’m worried about the message that sends to the rest of the citizens of that country. I have spoken to a lot of businesses, they would not like to see the flag come down.”
Gee, what about the message that continuing to fly that flag sends to the diverse workers who are gracing our stores with their diligent work ethics and smiling faces? What about the message that this flag gives to the caring members of our LGBTQ+ community? What about the message that this flag gives to our youth as they pass it while, perhaps, wondering why it continues to fly while
their families may be facing the realities of economic distress owing to U.S.-driven tariffs? What about the message that our town is giving to Canadians visiting our community when they see us continuing to fly the flag of our oppressor? What about the message that that flag says to all of us as a community buying Canadian and wearing our patriotic pride on our sleeves?
The Mayor of Barrie recently had the fortitude and resolve to eliminate the presence of U.S. flags in Barrie Municipal Facilities. Mayor Alex Nuttall stated “It’s inappropriate for the flag of another country that’s threatened the sovereignty of our country and the livelihoods of our people to be flying inside of our facilities….This isn’t about being disrespectful. This is about ensuring that our young people and our citizenry aren’t being plagued with the U.S. flag in the midst of all this turmoil.”
Not only is it time for individual Canadians to take a stand for Canada, it is definitely time for the Huntsville Town Council to stand up for its citizenry. Maybe the Council needs to hear from individual citizens with regards to how that flag is making us feel. Maybe it’s time to question individual business owners in our town as to where they stand on this issue – maybe it’s time to make “Shop Canadian” mean more than just the label on a purchase. Let American visitors see their flagpole empty and feel the anger and displeasure that we, as Canadians, feel. Let Americans know what their leadership is doing to its
northern friends. We are a kind and polite country – until we are pushed around and then our pride and resolve as a sovereign nation shines through!
It is, indeed, time to be CANADIAN – STRONG AND FREE!
By Michael Walmsley
Huntsville
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Nice letter Michael Walmsley
I’ve suggested to Huntsville town council some time ago to remove the American flag from all the town’s facilities.
Come on Huntsville council, take a stand and take the American flags down.
We have stem cell research, we can grow you a spine if required!
Have the towns in Muskoka and Parry Sound taken action yet?
Remove the American flag and replace it with the Ukrainian flag! Slava Ukraine!!!!
Removing the Russian flag was symbolic, and repeated in different ways all around the world… in order to make it difficult for a gas lighter like Trump or Putin to say something as absurd as “Ukraine started the war”.
Take down the American flag or lower it to half as a reminder of who started this trade war BS.
History continues to be written and is not to be re-written.
Micheal, thank you for your post. I have written to the mayor. She is currently on vacation, so I got a quick, politically correct response from her team — wait and see what happens, we have lots of American visitors….
And here is who else I wrote to…. and so far I have received positive feedback.
Honourable MP Angus,
It has always bothered me to see the American flag displayed in our arenas – Canada is our country, and we need to take it back!
Our kids don’t need to play house-league or representative sports under someone else’s banner. In a southern Ontario arena, the American flag is larger than the Canadian one — disgraceful. American tax dollars did not pay for our buildings or their upkeep.
I have written to the mayor of the Town of Huntsville, where I live, the recently elected Ontario Premier, the federal Minister of Heritage, MPP Smith, and MP Aitchison. I am going to send this to our fellow Canadian Actor Mike Myers.
Please know that I am not advocating for the Huntsville G7 display to be changed, but I am asking for this.
Thank you for your articles and for being out there in the press. I have signed up for your newsletter and look forward to hearing about your next big adventure.
Elbows Up, Respectfully,
Lynn Bennett
The G8 Historical Monument is a symbol of détente. It represents the cooperation of countries who through diplomacy sought common goals via cooperation. It stands to be reflected upon.
The monument was defaced as a result of emotional knee-jerk actions undertaken by “ignorant and uninformed” small-minded local mucky mucks, political ladder climbers, has beens, and hack journalists. The childish act of removing the Russian Federation’s flag is vandalism akin to historical arson. The editorializing of history, or “canceling” in modern parlance is basic “current narrative” management. This type of behaviour can be expected from people who do not read, are not students of history, from those ignorant of global affairs and or partisans who choose to use a narrow frame in order to remove context from a complicated situation.
The current unhinged cult-like Orwellian calls to double down on this act of vandalism by town council, the wonks and other jabaronies with an (ironic) Stalinist move to further editorialize history is comical, Imagine actually being manipulated into now removing the US flag?
This whole “movement” is eerily reminiscent of the media/political fueled Covid hysteria that divided Canada. While we are at it, why stop there? Why not tear down the Canadian flag and replace it with the CCCP or better yet the East German flag? Maybe the townsfolk could gather round and belt out Auferstanden aus Ruinen, then march off to a soup kitchen with their elbows up.
Something else drove the targeted selective outrage and Russophobia that really showed up during the Sochi Olympics. My guess is the need for containment of competing resources by the selectively enforced “rules based order” club. It is interesting that this very same manufactured political othering is now being weaponized against the U.S.A. as they pivot away from the insatiable parasites in the European and International political swamp. They of course need our swamp to keep draining our taxes into their swamp. Hence the hysterical sentiments and ginned up public.
At the same time America has been labeled as the Great Satan, Why is there no outrage over China and India whose state apparatus constantly meddle directly in Canadian political operations and their perpetual multi-billion dollar undermining of the Canadian economy? China has also imposed new crushing tariffs on Canada on top of their many lopsided manufacturing advantages. Nobody is chaining the doors closed at Walmart or the rest of our Chinese and Indian dependent businesses.
Canadians should have listened to Lou Dobbs way back when he was still at CNN warning what would happen. The lack of outcry over China and India especially given the huge legal peril the current federal provincial and municipal leaders are in, casts further doubt on how genuine any of this current tarrif war is. Our leadership has failed us. The media has chosen their side. They chose the “current thing”.
Canadians have suffered a decade of intense political misfeasance that puts the usual skulduggery to shame. The economy has cratered because of bad actors and poor managers at the municipal, provincial and federal level. All parties and the bureaucracy under them are to blame.
Canada has a tiny population and vast resource wealth. As such Canadians should lead the world in personal wealth, and should be sought after trading partners.
The vested interests here in Canada working against your bottom line require the taxpayers who have been robbed blind to continue to ignore self-inflicted misery and compounded unforced errors.
They need the political cult members to look elsewhere for culprits and to ignore the negligent management. They need to keep the confidence game going. It’s the oldest trick in the book.
The reality is Canada’s debt has doubled from $500 Billion to over a $1 Trillion in the last 10 years. The GDP has crumbled and the economy has cratered. All levels of government have worked directly against the taxpayer making their lives more expensive. Canadians have also sent hundreds of Billions abroad to NGOs and foreign governments while our own streets and small businesses crumble.
The same conflicted government bureaucrats and leaders who have made you broke and dependent now say they are going to save you. As if.
The recent rise in synthetic Nationalism is pretty entertaining to watch,
I’m sure somewhere down in the fire and brimstone Brzezinski, Bernays and Ogilvy are having a good chuckle over this whole mess.
We need real financial reforms and more détente to unleash Canada’s potential not jingoism and empty gestures from flag burners and waivers.
Why would we fly the flag of a country that has threatened to take us over, a clear act of war. Take it down immediately. This meek and mild response to that orange slob needs to stop and we need to stand up to this nut case.
What he is doing in the U.S. is not normal and he is clearly trying to impress putin by his consent threats of taking over Canada and other sovereign nations, but he is a weak, pathetic loser, we need to stand up to him and quit worrying about flying the flag of a country that has threatened to invade us. I’m sure our American friends would understand. Nowhere in that country do I see an Canadian flag flying, remove the U.S. flag immediately.!
My parents, grandparents, and uncles all served in WWII and if we have learned anything, it’s that if this nonsense goes unchecked it will embolden trump to take the next step. We need to stand strong! Do you really think that if our elected politicians said we were going to make the U.S. the 11th province there wouldn’t be an uproar?
There is a time to be diplomatic but trump doesn’t care about that, he is a criminal and we need to treat him as such he is gutting their country right in front of their eyes and is getting away with it.
Stand up for Canada, if you live here, and if not leave, but don’t fly the U.S. flag that is now a symbol of oppression, take it down and send them all back to our American neighbors, I’m sure they will understand and if not too bad.
We need to protect our sovereignty not worry about flying another country’s flag, come on lets get some backbone before its too late!
As an American living in Huntsville for past 30 years, I would not offended if the American flag was lowered or removed. President Trump’s executive orders are an embarrassment to the United States, however, I don’t think many Americans living in the US would understand that. I’m not sure many Americans think about the effect on the rest of the world; but are most concerned with what happens in their back yard. The US flag is a national symbol. Lowering it to half mast sends message. Americans are more likely to notice and ask why. A missing flag wouldn’t draw their attention. And I agree with BJ Boltauzer, you’re unlikely to find a Canadian flag flying south of the border unless it was raised by a Canadian!
I think we should lower the G7 U.S. flag (and all U.S. flags) to half staff in Canada as a sign that we mourn the loss of our best friend and ally. This will attract attention and give us the opportunity to explain how immensely sad we feel at the unwarranted destruction of our great relationship at the hand of the U.S. President.. This action will also keep the conversation going.
Brian Tapley you are so correct in your comments. What is being left out of the conversation these days is the amount of personal wealth Trump and his cronies are accumulating (Musk I can’t figure out his end game) form Crypto to every other inside deals they are cooking on the backs of average gullible Americans. The coming months are going to be one hell of ride put your helmets on!!!
I DO NOT support taking dwn the US flag…why? Most of us have loved ones and friends who are American and just becaus their leader is posing tariffs that cldv been avoided had the Liberals listened to Canadians for years?
MANY of us hav been crying out for border control for YEARS becaus we’r well aware of the serious and REAL drug crisis here….we’v been aware of criminals takng advantage of our ports for years too, 90% of whats coming in or leaving is Never inspected…many of us hav been crying out to invest in our military and veterans for YEARS becaus the Canadian military is a shadow of its former self…very sad how Trudeau/Liberals kept denying thes truths, and still are to a degree.
Personally, Im WAY more angry with wht Justin and the Liberals hav done to our once great country thn with our neighbours to the south!
I disagree with new tariffs but I see clearly WHY theyr being used against us and tht they were TOTALLY AVOIDABLE if proper diplomacy and a leader who actually cared about the benefit to Canadians had been present to just act in OUR best interests.
For the past few years I had to stop posting pics of us and the kids at the Canada Day parade becaus Id be innundated by Liberal friends telling me we were supporting a racist and colonizer country!!
Now ALL OF A SUDDEN theyr all over it?? Are you kidding me….the Liberals are NOT CANADA FIRST, havnt been their entire time in power and Im not fooled now, sorry guys, my memory isnt that short!
Iv ALWAYS been Canada First but was attacked for it by the Left (its why i left the Left)…..now it serves thm to whip everyone into a panic so thts wht theyr doing…they want us to forget wht theyv done to us and to think irrationally from a place of fear.
We dont have what it takes to be totally self sufficient, we’v sold off too mch of our manufacturing and havnt supported our farmers and military so we cant afford to turn on our largest trade partner who provides the bulk of our food, consumer goods and protection….its certainly a great goal to get closer to being self sufficient and to support our own businesses and farms but we cant get ther overnight, it takes years, evn generations to get to that place.
Time for an election so tht cooler heads can prevail…this mess CAN be cleaned up and our country CAN be prosperous once more….but I do not support hating our neighbours to the south, they are NOT why we’re suffering.
Lay your demoralization, fears, struggles at the feet of the person and party who forced us here with their corruption/self serving greed/woke agendas and now fear mongering distractions!
I see WAY too many people overreacting and most of the media loving it, pushing it….nuclear weapons against Americans, really?!! Cutting off power to children, elderly people, hospitals providing care?!! Really?!! This is INSANITY people! Its hyperbolic, out of control and totally DISGUSTING!
I do not support it!!
Yes it’s time to remove the American flag from all public spaces. Should any Americans here on holidays feel they want to fly an American flag on their property so be it
It is time to refer to the usa as …SOUTHERN CANADA !!
Make sure you copy your letters to your town council member or Mayor Alcock.
It is on the agenda for discussion in the March council meeting.
I would support taking down the American flag as I agree it really hurts how the US leader is treating us Canadians. We like our American friends, but I feel we have to show that we do not agree with the US leader. Once he is gone for good we can put the flag up again.
Hear, hear! To continue flying the American flag may send the wrong message to the current administration of the USA. I wonder if the Canadian flag is displayed anywhere South of the border.
What a well written article Micheal. I feel it’s time for council to stand up and make a statement.
What a slap in our faces it is to continue to fly the American flag no only in our town but anywhere in Canada 🇨🇦
Yes many of Americans are wonderful people and yes they own property here and patronize our businesses. They will still come.
I say, take down the American flags like our neighbor Barrie and many our towns and cities have
done.
Get with the program town council.
Well stated Michael.
It is time to remove the US Flag. My American friends all understand our feelings of animosity right now – and they agree with Canadians. Huntsville Town Officials should be thinking of all the tax paying Huntsville residents and seasonal residents. This is not a time to sit on the fence. Choose Canada. Fly OUR flag.
#elbowsup Huntsville – time to take a stand.
As a proud Canadian by birth and long-time resident of Almaguin, currently living in Ohio and desperately working to retire and return to Ontario, I have a unique perspective on this whole mess.
I promise you that nowhere in the US does the flag of another nation fly, excepting private residences, Consulates and the UN.
The people of the US would have a flame-out if the Canadian flag flew from any of their public buildings or areas.
Those who go to Canada to visit, who regularly vacation there, or own property there, see our country as a nice place to be. They tell me everybody is so nice and why is it so clean?! They do not see Canada as another country, but as a cute extension of the US there for their enjoyment.
Those who do not go to Canada see it as a backwards, socialistic wilderness full of nice but dim-witted people.
There are citizens of the US who have traveled and truly know Canada as a country but apparently they are apathetic to the situation. There were, I am told, 85.9 million people who did not vote.
My point is that Huntsville, as welcoming a place as it is to tourists, needs to take the flag of the United States down. You are not sending the message you think. You are advancing the idea that Canadians are too busy being happy and polite to understand reality.
Let those who come from the US understand they are in another country with our permission.
Be welcoming. Be polite. Be clean. But for the love of God, be Canada. Or fly the flags of the other 193 countries too.
Elbows up. Flag down.
Everyone forgets that terrifs were a normal part of trade with the US and by removing those terrifs under NAFTA under Brian Mulroney they put those taxes on the backs of the poor.
The Federal Government needs to collect its own taxes. Placing these taxes on the common people through HST/GST has become a massive burden on Canadian Citizens. The Canada Revenue Agency doesn’t pay your Input Tax Credits back and shells out a fraction of the taxes collected by this taxation.
The Fed can not be trusted to do anything. The CRA is a business of Organized Crime that burdens business and citizens by the created loopholes they have implemented to tax the middleclass into poverty. They allow for the theft of billions of dollars and are unaccountable to Canadians for their actions.
Terrifs work. Direct taxation and a system built on taxation doesn’t. Anyone that fear mongers is misguided and nieve.
Trump is rolling out Terrifs to force governments to tax directly. The only government response to these terrifs is to cut taxes. Remove the GST/HST remove the Income Tax as illegal and unlawful under the Statute of Westminster. All taxation that was put in place to pay for a war that was over and paid for decades ago are unlawful. Our Canada Pension Plan has become a slush fund for the CRA and our Federal Governments. Trust funds are entrusted for one purpose and only one purpose yet billions are siphoned off into general coffers.
Our MPs and MPPs allow for these explorations as common place. Trump recognizes it and so do the common people. We work in a state of crisis to survive while our Representatives suck on the proverbial teet of the working class.
It’s time we stepped up and said enough is enough. POLIVIER is no one’s saving grace,he is complicit as is every MP and MPP that allowed for the infection of the Covid vaccines to roll acrossed the country.
They should all be in the Hague facing criminal charges of crimes against humanity. Since 1980 we have allowed these practices to occur. Enough.
I spent 26 years in the Canadian Armed Forces defending this country from the very things that this despot Trump stands for. Make no mistake that this is just about tarrifs. He has his eye on the prize that is Canada and will stop at nothing to get his way. We must be strong and united in sending a strong message not only to Trump but the people of the United States that we are and will continue to be our own country and will not tolerate this kind of outside interference. Trump has stated that Canada has nothing that the U.S. needs so let’s give him just that! I believe Doug Ford has the right idea in shutting off their power as a starting point. Let’s shut them down completely by crippling their economy just like they want to cripple ours. We can find other markets for our goods. This will come at a cost to us all but I believe with a little belt tightening we can achieve it. Let’s make them regret poking the great northern bear that is Canada. If we all pull together in solidarity it can be done. Let’s start by taking down that flag that presently flies over our town . If you believe that we should fly the American flag just go anywhere in the U.S. and see if you can find a Canadian flag flying.
Ross Pease (W.O. ret’d)
Would it make any sense to fly the flag of the United States at half mast? To indicate, that for now, America is dead to us but we sympathize with so many of it’s people.
One other sort of ironic point is that if, hypothetically, the US did make Canada the 51/st state they would not get “one state”.
No Canada is too big for this.
What the US would get is about 13 states, almost all of them Democrat so the current fragile Republican majority would change to a minority as Canada joined.
Also, they would inherit about 600 plus indigenous land claims that we seem unable to settle so this would provide the “new USA” with something to work on too.
The USA would do far better to work on Puerto Rico to bring it into full state status and help it set up a more robust infrastructure and viable economy.
Cuba is not now, nor ever has been a significant threat to the USA. It is only a threat insofar as the US has ostracized and sanctioned it, thus forcing it to turn to places like Russia and China for the things it needs and cannot get from it’s US neighbor.
As a matter of fact there are a lot of Caribbean small states that would benefit from a more benign trade and aid relationship with the USA (and Canada for that matter). We would all gain and there would be less impetus for refugees from this area of the world to try to get into the USA. It would deny China and Russia an easy foothold in this area too if that is our goal. A little bit of well planned aid and some trade agreements here would go a long way to ensuring a prosperous peace and the cost would be relatively small.
Messing with the Panama Canal, Greenland, ownership of Canada and uselessly renaming small oceans are things not likely to have any benefit for anyone. They are just “Trump noise”, sort of like that static hiss you find between channels on the radio and about as important.
Maybe call it the “Gulf of Cuba”. this would seem the most appropriate “new name” for this body of water anyway and avoids alienating both Mexico and the USA. It would alienate both more or less equally. Trump should love this, it might become a “beautiful solution” for him to croon about in one of his rambling speeches. If it does, I want my finders fee!
Agreed, on all counts. Take down the flag, or if your just too faint hearted to do this, replace it with one that is tiny. If the other flags are say 6 x 10 feet, make the US one 1 x 1.5 feet and fly that.
Well said Michael. Let’s seek out the opportunities.
Perhaps replace all the flags with 8 proud Canadian flags and plant red and white flowers in the spring. Confederation Park has a nice ring to me.
No need to fly American flags in any publicly funded Canadian buildings even once trade war ends.. Get rid of them. Better yet send them to Russia.
I agree with the mayor of Barrie. TAKE DOWN THAT FLAG. Yes, there are many wonderful Americans who didn’t vote for this vile, despicable, heartless monster. But, frankly, I don’t want to see it flying. It’s no longer a symbol of America as we knew it prior to Trumpism and Musk. It no longer represents diversity. It represents oppression and fascism. It sickens me. It saddens me. It horrifies me.
It’s very unlikely that Trump will do an about face and leave the dark side. He has made it clear that he wants Canada to be a 51st state. Whatever that means? His goal is to cripple our economy. He wants our resources. The American government is aligned with Russia (and no doubt other fascist countries).
TAKE DOWN THAT FLAG; it’s the patriotic thing to do. Most Americans that come here will understand.
Be a Zelenskyy. Speak up. Stand up.