Canadians celebrate National Flag Day across B.C. – BC

A sense of patriotism is sweeping across the country amid a looming trade war between the U.S. and Canada. And Canadians have a clear message for U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Now is the time for Canada to have those trading relationships, to ensure that we’re buying Canadian, that we’re building Canada, and we’re building a stronger economy,” said New Westminster–Burnaby MP Peter Julian.

“So, on this Flag Day, we are saying to Donald Trump, we will never be the 51st state.”

Now more people are choosing to purchase and fly their own Canadian flag.

At Flying Colours International in Port Coquitlam staff say Canada flag sales have quadrupled in recent days.

“The phones have been ringing off the hook and people have been coming into the store. One of the neat things to see is that people that maybe have not had a Canada flag before, that are now coming in to buy one,” said Julia Izadi of Flying Colours.

“Normally, this time of year, we’re preparing for Canada Day in July, so we were not expecting that. But thank goodness we do stock and manufacture flags here, so we were able to really respond quickly.”

Meanwhile, a group of proud Canadians found a different way to showcase their patriotism just north of Kelowna by shovelling a massive Canada Flag on top of Ellison Lake.

The finished flag is one-acre in size and was finished just in time for National Flag Day.

“We wanted to do something patriotic for the country with all the things going on in the world today,” said Stuart Sutton, who helped shovel the large flag.

The maple leaf has been a symbol of national pride for years. Saturday marked the 60^th anniversary of the Canadian flag as it was first raised on Feb. 15, 1965.

“The flag represents Canadian values that we hold dear. We take care of each other; we welcome people to all of our shores,” said New Westminster–Coquitlam MLA Jennifer Whiteside.

“Canadian Medicare is such a strong value that really represents how we take care of each other. And I think those values are really represented across the country, and values that all Canadians hold dear.”

Residents and local government officials gathered in New Westminster for a rally on Saturday to celebrate the anniversary of the flag and to show their Canadian pride.

“Canada is united, first nations, all the Indigenous people, all the people of any person of colour, we are all Canadian and we are all proud to be standing on this land today,” said Qayqayt First Nation Chief Rhonda Larrabee.

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