Maritimers have mixed feelings on celebrating the maple leaf on Flag Day

The red and white maple leaf has been a symbol of Canadian pride for nearly 60 years, but on this Flag Day many Maritimers have mixed feelings about what it represents in the current climate.

Blair MacIvor is an Afghanistan veteran, who also served in Bosnia, and has suffered from PTSD. The Cape Breton resident says he was angry when he saw the way the Canadian flag was being used in the 'Freedom Convoy' demonstrations across the country.

"I have a lot of pride in the Canadian flag. I fought for that flag,” said MacIvor.

"I also fought for the right for people to have free speech. But I didn't fight for them to be disrespectful to the flag or veterans' memories, ex-soldiers' memories. What they did on the cenotaph in Ottawa, dancing on it, that was just disrespectful."

When he thinks back to how the maple leaf was viewed in the countries where he served, MacIvor says people knew what the Canadian flag represented.

“I don't think that's changed today,” he said.

Bob Huish is an associate professor in International Development Studies at Dalhousie University. He says Canada’s flag stirred up difficult feelings during the Every Child Matters movement and the discoveries made at residential schools.

"This is a rough day to be the Canadian flag,” said Huish.

"It's been a time to question what it means to be Canadian, and part of that engagement is dealing with some of the hard knocks that we experienced in putting this nation together."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on this Flag Day that the maple leaf is a symbol of the shared values that unite us as Canadians, across the country and around the world.

Though this might not be the flag's finest hour, Huish says he's confident the Canadian brand can bounce back.

"So that people who have felt that it hasn't spoken for them, it will speak for them,” he said.

“And for people who have taken the flag in vain, that that will also be corrected going forward."