We asked prominent Canadians what the Maple Leaf flag means to them. Here’s what they said
May the land over which this new flag flies remain united in freedom and justice; a land of decent God-fearing people; fair and generous in all its dealings; sensitive, tolerant and compassionate towards all men." - Lester B. Pearson
Canada's former prime minister certainly had high hopes for this country's new ensign as it was formally adopted in 1965.
The red maple leaf and its white-and-red backdrop were a marked departure for a nation looking to step out from under the shadow of Britain and its Union Jack, including the Canadian Red Ensign. The symbol was controversial from its inception, with some recoiling at the idea of a Canadian flag not incorporating some British element.
Today, the controversy over Canada's national identity continues for different reasons that nonetheless touch on the themes of freedom, justice and fairness of which Pearson spoke.
As the Star's Steve McKinley writes, there is a tug-of-war going on for this country's heart, and the Maple Leaf is at the centre of it.
The Star asked a number of writers and prominent Canadians to put into words what they believe the flag symbolizes, at a time when this country is making faltering steps toward reconciliation, facing the kind of fierce polarization shown by Freedom convoys" and as the myths of nation-building are being thoroughly re-examined.
* There are, in the eyes of Haroon Siddiqui, many reasons to find hope in this grand experiment we call Canada. Read his take here.
* Recent Canadian Jeopardy!" champion Mattea Roach takes a more sombre view, writing that the Canada we live in falls far short of mythical nation she was raised to believe in. Her piece is here.
* For someone whose birth land is wracked by war, writes Maria Reva, Canada's flag evokes a culture and its subtle refusal to share in suffering that seems far away. This is her view.
* There has been, in fact, a blank-canvas quality to our flag that has let it stand for many things, writes John Ralston Saul. The Freedom convoy" truckers took advantage of that. His essay is here.
* But though those truckers may wrap themselves in the Canadian flag, writes author Stephen March, their rage does not entitle them to our country's symbol. Here is his assessment.
* To the mind of George Elliott Clarke, the dark history of Canadian state - some of it coming to light only now - reminds us that nationalistic icons such as the flag don't move many of us. These are his thoughts.
*Kimberly Murray, the special interlocutor for residential school graves, says, to her, the flag represents an opportunity to face Canada's past, including the grim discoveries, and make meaningful change. Read her point of view here.
* How do you reconcile the hatred that flowed underneath that Maple Leaf with the inspiring Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples who have shaped this country, is a question poet laureate Albert Dumont explores. His poignant take is here.
*As the child of immigrants, you grow up with the Canadian myth your parents believe, or choose to believe, writes author Junie Desil, before finding out the truth for yourself. She details her experience here.