The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Dear Sir, I was interested to read in Friday's paper of planned changes to Flinty's Park ? in particular the replacement of Flinty's submarine with flags representing the provincial, territorial, Aboriginal and Metis heritage of Canada. In principle, I think this is an excellent idea. However, I was surprised to see that it is proposed to include the U.S. flag as well. The question must be asked, "Why is the U.S. identified for special recognition?" In terms of the Canadian heritage, I suggest that arguments can be made for including flags from any number of countries ? France, Britain and Ukraine to name but three. If it is because the U.S. is our biggest trading partner I would suggest that Mexico is also part of NAFTA and the Mexican flag should be displayed. If it is because the U.S. is perceived to have similar values as Canadians I would suggest that the widespread opposition in Canada to the actions of recent U.S. administrations argues against this. Do we as Canadians wish to be identified with current American policies in terms of foreign affairs, treatment of prisoners and restrictive trade practices, to name but three? If it is because we welcome Americans into our communities as friends and sources of revenue, I would suggest that we welcome all nations into our communities on the same basis. This would mean that we display flags from all nations. Let's keep it simple. The flags on display should be strictly Canadian. Thank you. - Buz Trevor
