January 11, 2005

THE CADRE ¢ 5

Julie Bull Reporter

“Oh Canada, our home and Na- tive land...” Familiar song lyrics to us all; however, the peace, harmony and freedom that is meant to be portrayed through this song are the last things that is being felt in Newfoundland and Lab- rador, and much of the Country for that matter. Without allowing my personal biases to overtake this article, I would like to present to you the latest details as it relates to the ongoing controversy of Newfoundland and Labrador’s (NL) Premier Danny Williams’ decision to remove all Canadian Flags from Pro- vincial Government offices in the prov- ince. (Be thankful he isn’t in the US!).

Newfoundland and Labrador were the last province to join confed- eration, and as such, there are many natives of that province that feel they

have been slighted when it comes to _

any deals and/or benefits. Arguably, there are issues like these in every prov- ince, but recent talks with the Federal

Government on the Atlantic Accord -

have resulted in something previously unseen in Canada (except maybe in similar cases with Quebec in years gone by). Who is to say if it is right or wrong to take down the ultimate symbol of a Nation, no matter what the fight is about? There is no unanimous stand on the issue, even within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. According to NT V (Newfound- land Television) News, Premier Danny Williams said just days before his deci- sion to withdraw flags from government buildings that December 22 would be the deadline for an Atlantic Accord deal. “If we can’t close a deal on Wednes- day, then I really don’t think we can

Rebellion or Remedy? Newfoundland and Labrador Premier pulls maple leaf in defiance of Feds

close a deal. That means there are hur- dles we can’t get over” says Premier Williams. “So it’s show time, and we just have to finalize this. And if we can’t

. do it in Winnipeg on Wednesday, then

at that point I’m prepared to throw up my hands and say we can’t reach a deal

and then we have to move on from >

there.”

It cannot be denied that there are many people who support this decision - people who are on the Premier’s side; however, there are also many that op- pose this decision saying that it is show- ing disrespect for the rest of the coun- try. Opposition Leader Roger Grimes was cited as saying that “We should be

making the moves and moving this for- _

ward, rather than throwing temper tan- trums and getting on with a lot of rheto- ric, making bad decisions like remov- ing the flag and slowing down the proc- ess,”

According to VOCM news, Prime Minister Martin has said that he is willing to start negotiations, but will not make a step further until the flags rise high again. “I do not believe that the Canadian flag should be used as a lever in any negotiation, any federal - provincial negotiation ... [and] I don’t believe that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians [think it should either]. The flag isa symbol of unity and it should not be used in terms of difference and division.” Martin says. (VOCM Newsworld).”

Some people are taking this so- called flag flap one step further. Not only are they removing the Canadian Flag, they are replacing it with what is com- monly known as the Republic of New- foundland Flag. The pink, white and green tri-color flag has long been a sym- bol of Newfoundland and Labrador pride and independence. There are many ideas as to the meanings of the colors, but the most cited is that the pink

represented England and the green Ire- land. The white represented one of two things: the peace between the two sec- tarian groups or the Scottish emigrants who also settled in Ireland. There are many people who support Newfound- land Nationalism and this flag is sym- bol of that.

People such as the mayor of Mount Pearl have said that this seem- ing charade is not about being anti-Ca- nadian, it is about being pro-Newfound- land and Labrador. Also, according to

St. John’s Mayor, Andy Wells, people

are in agreement with the Premier’s de- cision because it is a part of the larger problem with the relationship between the Province and the rest of Canada. Who is to say who is right and who is wrong? Completely relative in every sense of the word; however, we

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can be hopeful that as bad as this situ- ation is, and may continue to be, that it will ultimately solve some of the issues with the division of Provincial/Federal monies and power. You never know, maybe this is the start of great things to come, after all, someone has to lead the way! Without condemning or con- doning what is going on in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, I would like to pose this thought: is it not possible that in the minds of all Cana- dians there is something that we would like to protest? A little anarchy in us all? Itis possible that what Danny Williams is doing is mere protest, albeit, extreme? Maybe he has a point. On the other hand, maybe it is just another political scam that fits like a glove to some hid- den agenda. Only time will tell. “Oh Canada, we stand on guard for thee...”

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