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Seven things you can't do to the flag on Canada Day (or ever)

It’s almost Canada Day and you’re likely to be deep in the throes of Canadian patriotism. Which means, probably, finding a red shirt, grabbing a six-pack, and heading down to your local playground or parkette to watch the Spoons or Kim Mitchell or whichever other Canadian musical celebrity happened to be available.

But maybe you’re a little more into the whole “day of national birth” thing, and you want to express your love for country with a flag. You’re in luck. In true Canadian fashion, we’ve checked out the rules that govern the display of our national flag to make sure you don't get in trouble, and we’ve found some examples of how not to do it, so you can learn form other people's mistakes.

The National Flag of Canada should be displayed only in a manner befitting this important national symbol; it should not be subjected to indignity…
So, for example, when Rob Ford decided to hang a Canadian flag in his office window to protest the raising of the Rainbow Flag at Toronto’s City Hall in February 2014, that was bad.


Nothing should be pinned to or sewn on the National Flag of Canada.
It doesn't matter if it's an adorable Canada Day kids' art project; don't do it.

dir="ltr" lang="en">Here is another concept for the Canadian flag! #CanadaDay2014 #Kelowna come visit us at the park pic.twitter.com/kFgXr3i564— Kelowna Museums (@kelownamuseums) July 1, 2014

Even on April 20th. For any reason.



When affixed on a motor vehicle, the flag must be on a pole firmly fixed to the chassis on the front right.

Not hanging from the rearview mirror.


 If hung vertically, the flag should be placed so that the upper part of the leaf points to the left and the stem to the right from the point of view of the observer facing the flag.

Both of these flags - the one pointing the wrong way, and the one wrapped around a pole - from the Canada practice area at the Olympic Swimming venue at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, were hung improperly.

 

Whenever possible, the proper place for a vessel to display the national colours is at the stern, except that when at sea, the flag may be flown from a gaff.

This flag treatment on the roof of a Vancouver Aquabus would be the appropriate treatment if this were a casket. It isn't; it's a ferryboat. This is inapproriate treatment of the flag.

 

 Red and white are Canada's official colours and, with the maple leaf, are the symbolic elements found in the Canadian flag.

So when Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford posed with a gold-and-red flag after winning the pairs competition at the 2015 World Figure Skating Championships? Nuh-uh.

 

If one simply wishes to create a decorative effect (e.g. dressing a house for a festive occasion) it is preferable to use pennants or coloured buntings and not flags.

So no, don't use the flag as a cape.

 

Have a wonderful Canada Day, and don't break any rules. It's the Canadian Way.