***A personal message from Aristotle Foundation president Mark Milke***

The Red Ensign symbolizes Canada’s war dead over generations

You are more than familiar with what is popularly known as “cancel culture.”

That term is now a cliché. But the reality is that attacks on Canadian history have become a chronic problem. 

Here’s an example.

A while back, the federal government gave $268,400 in taxpayer dollars to something called the “Anti-Hate Network” to, presumably, fight against hate.  

But here’s what they did with your money. In their guide for teachers and students, they were conspiratorial and told kids that:

• the Red Ensign (Canada’s flag before the maple leaf) has been “appropriated by white supremacists”;
• those who fly the Red Ensign “desire to return to a time when Canada was whiter”, and; 
• that “a teenager with a Red Ensign profile picture merits a second look because of its prevalence in young white supremacist groups.”

These are absurd claims. One doesn’t have to abandon historical Canadian symbols or lecture teenagers because someone, somewhere tries to appropriate a flag with ill intent. Instead, here are some relevant facts: 

• Hundreds of thousands of Canadians of every colour and creed fought and many died under Canada’s Red Ensign flag. 
• That includes 3,000 indigenous Canadians who served in the First World War and a similar number in the Second World War. They did so despite the reality they were wrongly and egregiously prevented from voting until 1960, as just one example of the wrongs they endured.

All our servicemen and women fought for Canada because they all believed in Canada and its potential. They sacrificed for their generation and for ours.

In other word, it’s more than OK to treasure that flag.

Which is why, in our usual contrarian spirit, we want to send you the Red Ensign flag to help you cherish Canada’s history. 

As we head towards the 80th anniversary of D-Day next week–the historic invasion of Europe by Canada and our allies that served as the beachhead to defeat Nazi Germany–let us remember that everyone’s ancestors built what ultimately became Canada.

That includes the first arrivals 20,000 years ago, those in past centuries who traded in furs, built farms and factories, fished off our coasts and built our cities, and immigrants from every corner of the earth then and since.

And lest we forget, so many of them served under the Red Ensign. (See one example here from Mississauga.)

Reminding Canadians of our shared sacrifices, history, and humanity is what we’ve been up to at the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy since we launched last June. In the past year, we have:  

• Published The 1867 Project: Why Canada Should be Cherished, Not Cancelled. It zoomed to #1 on Amazon last July 1 and has sold 10,000 copies!
• Released seven studies, 50 columns, and 11 videos including “Don’t Cancel Canada!” 

Our research has garnered “front page” and top-of-the-web headlines including one just this past week: Matthew Lau and David Hunt’s Reality Check: “Poverty and Race in Canada: Facts about Race, Discrimination, and the Poor.” That data-rich work reminds everyone to focus on individual Canadians and our shared challenges, and not on identities. 

Here are other reality checks covered by the media in our first year: 

• How to parse through conspiracy thinking by Michel Jacques Gagné
• Prof. David Millard Haskell’s analysis: Is DEI training helping or hurting race relations?
• Rahim Mohamed’s deep-dive look at Jewish and Muslim organizations and how they responded to terror attacks.

The Aristotle Foundation’s research has shown up in media outlets as ideologically diverse as the National Post, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Edmonton Journal, True North, Ottawa Citizen, Rebel Media, Toronto Sun, (Vancouver) Province, Western Standard, The Hub, Quillette, C2C Journal, Financial Post, and many more.  

Donate today, receive a Red Ensign flag

That’s a snippet of what we’ve done. We have a lot more in the pipeline for year two. 

That includes more work on Canadian history, what’s being taught in our schools and universities, free expression on university campuses, DEI, cancel culture, how other countries approach teenage gender issues, two new books, and much more! 

To get even more facts and informed history to Canadians, including our twin goals of reaching 100,000 young adults and newer Canadians, we need the support of Canadians like you who share our vision for a Canada that 

• cherishes and builds on the sacrifices and successes of past generations;
• values citizens based on merit and character;
• values open inquiry and free expression as the best path to a free, flourishing future for all.

Unlike some groups, we neither seek nor accept government funding. We rely solely on charitable contributions from Canadians. 

Here’s our ask: Will you support us today to help us impact Canada for the better?

Donate today and you’ll receive an instant tax receipt. To show our appreciation, if you contribute $125 or more before July 1st, we will send you a genuine 18” x 36” Red Ensign flag!

Thank you for helping us help Canada! 

Sincerely,

Mark Milke

President and founder, Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy, along with David, Ven, Danny, Tamara, and Joanne

P.S.: Your charitable donation will be matched by dollar-for-dollar by two generous donors up to $300,000 in total!

P.S.S.: Your charitable gift enables you to receive a charitable tax receipt. You’ll also be sent your very own Red Ensign flag for any contribution of $125 or more!