Canadian flag at truck protests: a collective symbol with individual meaning

Images of the flag fluttering from trucks, flying upside down or worn as a cape have captured attention since the blockade began in Ottawa on Jan. 28.

The symbolism attached to national flags often revolves around patriotism, but experts say the Maple Leaf’s prominent appearance at COVID-19 mandate protests comes at a moment of reflection for Canada.

Canadians might not be known as fervent flag wavers like their U.S. neighbours, but the Maple Leaf’s display at protests on Parliament Hill and at border crossings has given some people pause, said Carmen Celestini, a post-doctoral fellow with the Disinformation Project at Simon Fraser University’s school of communication in Burnaby, B.C.

“It’s definitely jarring for everybody and making people really think about who we are as a nation on so many different levels,” she said in an interview.

Images of the flag fluttering from trucks, flying upside down or worn as a cape have captured attention since the blockade began in Ottawa on Jan. 28.

Celestini said most Canadians are having a moment of reflection when it comes to the flag, which began with the discovery of what are believed to be 215 unmarked graves at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C. The announcement led some cities to cancel Canada Day events in a national reckoning of the country’s colonial past.

The flag symbolizes freedom for the truckers, she noted.

“The word freedom can mean so many different things to so many different people,” she said. “That is a really good word for social mobilization.”

In the 57 years since it was first raised, the Maple Leaf has been hoisted by Olympic athletes in victory, wrapped around coffins of soldiers coming home from Afghanistan in an image of mourning, lit on fire at protests, and worn on hats and sewn on backpacks of travellers.