1. As a Quebecer (who has now lived in Ontario for 25 years), I’m happy that Canadians now seem to embrace their national identity. The idea that Canada was a postnational country was always ridiculous to me. So is the idea that I’ve read this morning that Canada was never a “flag waving country”’. - ThreadSky

lturgeon.bsky.social • 75 days ago

1. As a Quebecer (who has now lived in Ontario for 25 years), I’m happy that Canadians now seem to embrace their national identity. The idea that Canada was a postnational country was always ridiculous to me. So is the idea that I’ve read this morning that Canada was never a “flag waving country”’.

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mhayday.bsky.social•75 days ago

It's interesting. My own take has generally been that Canadians do wave the flag, but tend to bring it out for more specific moments and circumstances compared to the US. As I've said about my Canada Day research, anyone who thinks Canadians don't wave the flag have never been in Ottawa on July 1!

lturgeon.bsky.social•75 days ago

Also a good reminder that your book on the flag has been on my « I need to find time to read it » reading list for far too long. A good time to do so now.

mhayday.bsky.social•75 days ago

On things flag-related, I always point folks to @forrestpass.bsky.social's work - he knows way more about them than I do. But I found that I couldn't really write about Canada Day and its evolution without engaging to a degree with the other symbols of nationalism and national identity.

forrestpass.bsky.social•75 days ago

Thanks Matthew (just recommended your article on Dom/Cda Day to a student this week!) My sense is that Cdn flag practices are (and have been) less brash but otherwise very similar to US, in terms of when and why we fly flags. A difference of degree, but a common N.Amer. tradition distinct f/ Europe.

lturgeon.bsky.social•75 days ago

You’re right, Matthew. Canada is not the same as the US. But there is certainly a lot of that banal nationalism Billig was talking about as you know. Note: my kids associated people waving the flag with the convoy the last few years. Interesting how quickly the meaning of flag waving can change.

mhayday.bsky.social•75 days ago

Oh absolutely. I'm in agreement with you - and Billig! It's been encouraging (and welcome) to see the maple leaf flag get reclaimed by Canadians after being appropriated by the convoy supporters (many of whom, I suspect ,once upon a time would have been Red Ensign wavers).

lturgeon.bsky.social•75 days ago

3. It’s also not true of the daily life of people in this country, especially here in Ontario where kids sing the national anthem every morning. For example, this is a photo of an arena where my daughter plays hockey.

lturgeon.bsky.social•75 days ago

4. Nationalism, as Michael Billig wrote, is around us everyday. Canada is no exception. I just hope that Canadians might now understand better why Indigenous peoples, Quebecers , Acadians care so much about their national identity and stop viewing nationalism as something associated with others.

lturgeon.bsky.social•75 days ago

5. Fin.

lturgeon.bsky.social•75 days ago

2. It’s certainly not true historically (especially to those of us who lived through the pre- and post-1995 referendum period). Watch a video of when Tragically Hip played Woodstock in the 1990s. You see a sea of Canadian flags.

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