Every day, a new Canadian flag is raised on the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill. Canadian residents who wish to obtain a maple leaf that floated there can register on a waiting list… of more than 100 years.
As of June 25, there were 58,000 active requests for a Peace Tower flag.
“Why is it so popular? I don’t know. But I was lucky enough to get one and I didn’t have to wait 100 years,” rejoices Manitoban Warren Otto, who nevertheless had to wait 14 years before receiving his following a visit to Ottawa with his children in the summer of 2005.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY WARREN OTTO
Warren Otto and his daughter Ashleigh during their visit to Ottawa in 2005. That day, they visited Parliament Hill and learned from the guide that they could apply for the Peace Tower flag.
Since then, the waiting time has exploded, in particular due to the popularity of the program on social networks.
Warren Otto’s flag was raised on the Peace Tower on April 19, 2019. The next day, as usual, a flagpole officer climbed the 141 steps to the top of the tower to replace the flag. “On a good day, the elevator still works,” jokes flag change manager Robert Labonté.
People are willing to wait so long. It shows how important it is, for these people, the flag, the symbol, what it represents.
Robert Labonté, responsible for changing the flag
Once the flag was changed on the flagpole, the flagpole officer carried Warren Otto’s maple leaf down to the basement, without ever touching the ground, as a sign of respect. It was then hung on a clothesline, before being folded, identified and mailed to Warren Otto the following week.
This routine repeats every working day, weather conditions permitting. The Peace Tower flag is faithfully replaced early in the morning so that each maple leaf spends the same time on the flagpole.
The twenty-minute ritual still impresses Robert Labonté, even after 14 years in office. The top of the tower offers a privileged viewpoint to admire the sunrises and the flocks of bustards. “Each season offers its little spectacle,” says Mr. Labonté.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ROBERT LABONTÉ
Robert Labonté during the changing of the flag of the Peace Tower
Robert Labonté considers himself lucky to be the person behind the scenes who allows citizens to receive “their little piece of history.” “It’s truly an honour.”
A tradition that is worth a lot
Warren Otto proudly hung his flag from the ceiling of the Home Hardware store in the French-speaking community of Lorette, Manitoba.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LORETTE HOME HARDWARE
Warren Otto’s 7′ x 15′ flag hangs from the ceiling of Home Hardware.
“I wanted to share it with other people. There’s no point in putting it in a box and putting it in the closet.” Warren Otto even created a Facebook group for owners of parliamentary flags to tell the story of theirs and indicate where it is.
In addition to the Peace Tower flag, four other Canadian flags are regularly flown on the East and West Blocks of Parliament Hill. These are replaced once a week. In total, approximately 450 flags are distributed to residents each year.
“When you fly a flag, you always have to make sure that it is in good condition,” explains Robert Labonté.
When the flag distribution program began in 1994, all flags on the Hill were replaced once a week. It was in the early 2000s, due to the program’s growing popularity, that the Peace Tower flag began to be changed daily in an attempt to meet demand.
There are still approximately 100,000 names on the waiting lists for all flags. Requests from June 2008 for the Peace Tower flag and from December 2011 for flags on other buildings are currently being honoured.
Parliamentary flags are made in Quebec City. And it’s not cheap. During the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the Ministry of Public Services and Procurement spent approximately $43,000 on the Peace Tower flags.
Waiting a century for a flag may be worth the price.
Did you know ?
The Canadian Heritage website details the etiquette to follow for treating the maple leaf with “respect and consideration.”
When a Canadian flag is faded, holed, torn or frayed, a good citizen must destroy it “in a dignified and proper manner”. Flags made from natural fibers should be burned without ceremony, while those made from synthetic fibers should be cut into strips of the same color, put in a bag and thrown away.
Furthermore, the Canadian flag should always be flown in a manner that reflects its “national emblem status.” It should not be used as a tablecloth or curtain, nor worn as a cape. It should not even be signed or sewn. This is true whether the flag is made of paper, cloth or any other material.