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Animal victims of war Purple Poppy Ceremony

Kimberly Lamontagne helmed the first commemoration ceremony of animal victims of war in Montreal. Dalia Nardolillo/THE CONCORDIAN

Animal Protection Party candidate Kimberly Lamontagne helmed the first commemoration ceremony of animal victims of war in Montreal


On Friday, Nov. 11, people gathered at Parc Lahaie to commemorate the animals whose lives were lost in war.

This was the first ceremony of its kind in Montreal, organized by Kimberly Lamontagne. Lamontagne is an animal rights activist and a candidate for the Animal Protection Party of Canada.

With the sound of the rain in the background, Lamontagne set up some candles around the space. She then stood up among the participants and gave a speech. 

“This event is a part of the Animal Alliance of Canada’s Purple Poppy Campaign, started in 2015 in Victoria, British Columbia. This ceremony is held in recognition of the millions of animals’ lives lost in war, to condemn their ongoing use in war and oppose the act of war internationally,” Lamontagne said.

At the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Lamontagne held the same ceremony earlier that week.

“Steps away from this memorial, in Confederation Park, is an underwhelming animals in war dedication that honours animals that served alongside their human comrades in war,” Lamontagne recounted.

Lamontagne made a point in addressing that there are no such statues located here in Montreal. 

“I choose to hold a vigil here as the equestrian dedication is underwhelming; it is not as inspiring as the display in London England’s Hyde Park,” Lamontagne said. “I want to highlight that our purpose here is to recognize the animals as victims of war; not heroes and not to valorize them.”

As Lamontagne emphasized, these animals’ lives were taken and not given. Purple poppies were being sold so that participants could commemorate the animal lives that were lost.

“We fully recognize that many soldiers were forced into war themselves. Animals cannot consciously decide to engage or abstain from war. Animals are still used by the Canadian military and in modern warfare,” she said.

After the ceremony concluded, Lamontagne offered two minutes of silence to reflect upon the animal lives that were lost.  Lamontagne also gave people the opportunity to come up and speak. 

The Purple Poppy Campaign is complementary to the Red Poppy Campaign. The Purple Poppy is not meant to undermine the Red Poppy or reject its symbolism of the human lives who served and died in the war.

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Don Cherry shops for his opinions the same place he shops for his suits: the trash

On Remembrance Day, the poppy signifies our commemoration to the fallen veterans of the First and Second World War.

But does pinning a poppy to a shirt necessarily prove one’s recognition more than somebody who doesn’t carry the flower? When did patriotism become all about competition?

Yes, I understand that it is a symbol of honour for the fallen, for I too carry the poppy on Nov. 11. But how does that make me more patriotic than my counterparts who might not wear a poppy?

Don Cherry and Sportsnet are facing backlash this week after the Hockey Night in Canada commentator referred to new immigrants as “you people,” therein generalizing that immigrants who do not wear poppies in honour of Remembrance Day do not support veterans.

Cherry’s comments from the night of Nov. 9 lead the sports network to post a statement on Nov. 11, confirming his lay-off.

Some of Cherry’s comments include the following:

“You people … you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that […] These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada, these guys paid the biggest price,” reported The National Post.

Shireen Ahmed, a sportswriter and co-host of the Burn It All podcast wrote an article on this for The Globe and Mail, headlined ‘What Don Cherry forgets about Remembrance Day, hockey and what unites Canada.’ Ahmed discusses the racist connotation of Cherry’s words and her views from the perspective of a person of colour.

What gives Cherry the right to single out minorities about paying for Canadians’ way of life? 

As questioned in Ahmed’s article, what about the minorities whose ancestors did serve during the wars? My great-grandfathers, who were born in India, served in the Royal Indian Army as medical assistants and doctors during the Second World War. Ahmed’s own grandfathers also served in the Royal Indian Army and Air Force.

Did Cherry forget the entire world was faced with the ramifications of these wars? Did he forget about the colonies under European control that were forced to contribute their military and citizens to the wars? Did he forget about the Black and Indigenous veterans in Canada, who, despite contributing to the Canadian Armed Forces, were still treated unfairly and not given the right to vote?

Why aren’t these communities recognized for their bravery as equal to the rest of the military? Why aren’t they recognized for making the same sacrifices for their country and/or their colonizers? Why are these facts so hard to swallow for people like Cherry, who, might I add, did not contribute to the war themselves? Judging by Cherry’s remarks, their efforts have clearly gone unnoticed, along with the thousands of other veterans who served in various militias.

I say other, because let’s not kid ourselves: we all know that any soldier or vet who isn’t white is a racial minority. It threatens the white knight-in-shining-armor-complex that has been explicitly presented to us throughout history.

One thing is for certain, Cherry is a hypocrite. “Don Cherry [never] acknowledged the many vets who are suffering from homelessness, substance abuse, mental health issues who get so little support,” continued Ahmed in her article. Need I say more?

Canadians with the same mindset need to take a step back and re-evaluate the reason they wear the poppy on Nov. 11. Whether or not it is worn, immigrants and minorities in general do not need a lecture on respect, as pointed out by Ahmed. Most of us are very familiar with the notion of ‘sacrifice,’ and Cherry should be the last person pointing the finger.

Nevertheless, let us not dwell on Cherry’s unnecessary comments that took away from the meaning of Remembrance Day. Let us not focus on the end of his career with Sportsnet, because people like him need to be held accountable for their actions.

And to you, Mr. Cherry, I think I speak on behalf of most POCs and minorities when I say the following: 

Ok boomer. Good riddance. 

 

 

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

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Commonwealth tradition with a Quebec spin

Photo by Madelayne Hajek

Photo by Madelayne Hajek

Premier Pauline Marois made headlines when she gave her inaugural speech at the National Assembly two weeks ago, but not necessarily for the right reasons.

Many veterans and citizens across Canada were offended when they realized the poppy she was wearing in honour of Remembrance Day had a fleur-de-lis, a symbol of Quebec’s cultural and political identity, over it.

After the incident, Marois’ director of communications, Shirley Bishop, told the Globe and Mail that Marois’ “objective was not to create a controversy.”

If her objective was not to create controversy, then what was it? To promote Quebec’s national identity on a holiday that celebrates Canada’s triumphs in past wars? To solely support Quebec’s veterans in the war?

Marois proved to be incredibly close-minded in the past few months, and that’s made her look ignorant and disrespectful.

Bishop continues to tell the Globe and Mail that “Marois has a lot of respect for veterans and a lot of respect for all the people who’ve lost their lives for their homeland. The fact of putting a fleur-de-lis was not at all, not at all, a political act … She’ll continue to wear the poppy but, given the controversy, she will not put the fleur-de-lis.”

I believe Marois knew very well that putting adding the fleur-de-lis pin was a political act. I feel this shows Quebec, and the rest of Canada, that she supports the Quebec soldiers in the war and perhaps doesn’t take any consideration for all the other Canadians soldiers who lost their lives as well.

Margot Arsenault, the Royal Canadian Legion’s provincial president, also believes that it was a political act and told the Globe and Mail that “[the veterans] fought for Canada, not just Quebec.”

Arsenault stated that she received 15 calls and about a dozen emails that day from veterans (even Quebec veterans) who claimed the act was unacceptable. The Legion states on their website that the poppy is not to be modified or altered in any way.

Remembrance Day is the day Canada remembers all the veterans who fought for freedom. To put any political symbol within the poppy automatically portrays you as supporting a single portion rather than the whole. In Marois’ case, having the Quebec symbol placed over this Canadian symbol clearly shows that Marois prefers one over the other.

For Marois’ director of communications to actually state that she didn’t want to create controversy is very ironic because Marois has been stirring up controversy ever since she was elected.

I’m extremely fed up with Marois’ acts. It’s embarrassing to be a part of a province with a premier who doesn’t recognize that we live in Canada. Furthermore, on a holiday that means so much to most Canadians, trying to display her political views through a symbol that symbolizes unity of Canada is extremely frustrating.

Marois would have been hard-pressed to keep wearing the fleur-de-lis, and I give her credit for taking it off just in time. Maybe this once, she can respect a Canadian tradition without making it strictly Quebec related.

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