It seems that my next Canadian passport will have a crown on it, and if I tell someone they can't put up the Maple Leaf flag I could soon be liable to two years in prison.
These are all things that the Conservative government is backing as the new session of Parliament opens. Can't quite believe it: what happened to Canadian nationalism, let alone Quebec nationalism?
When I chose to become a citizen of Canada several years ago, I specificlly didn't want to pledge allegiance to the Queen. Since the oath of citizenship only says I will uphold the Queen's laws, I decided I could go along with that. But times are changing. It's almost like Stephen Harper and his buddies sit around thinking: what can we do next to turn back the clock to the 1930s. when Canadian foreign policy, even, was made in Westminister.
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SO sorry, Mary. But as in the US, conservatives the world over really want to turn clocks back to at least the 1870s, before the shop keepers and peasants got so uppity. I used to think they just wanted more money regardless. Now I wonder if it isn't their grandmother's quest for a few respectful servants. The kind who know their place and how to tug a forelock without any cheek.
--ml
Love the image of tugging a forelock without any cheek. I get an picture of a face half eaten away--by some dreadful disease of poverty, I imagine.
There is a crown on your current Canadian passport, Mary. Just under the word "Canada" on the front cover and above the lion and the unicorn and the flags of Britain and (Royal) France. Just checked mine to jog my memory.
Still, this and especially the ridiculous flag law are beyond the pale.
Working for years on tenant issues, I remember this coming up (in rental buildings and condominiums). Landlords, other tenants and condo boards HATE it when people use large flags, whether Canadian, Québécois or other as curtains for patio doors. Not for any political reason, just because they think it looks déclassé (and personally, I agree).
The problem with flags is one that was raised on a talk show I heard yesterday. Does look a little tacky...
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