Poppy use on election signs sparks controversy for two municipal candidates
The use of a remembrance Poppy on election signs in Bradford West Gwillimbury and Newmarket has stirred controversy.
Nickolas Harper, who is vying for a council seat in Bradford and who served overseas in Afghanistan, began his campaign with a Poppy printed on the corner of his election sign.
But according to a letter from the Royal Canadian Legion, Harper's signs are an infringement of the Poppy Trademark and must be removed.
"It caught me off guard. I was shocked," said Harper on Sunday. "To stand up and have pride and show that, it meant a lot to be able come out and say, 'hey, I'm a veteran, we live in your community, we live right here.'"
The letter sent to Harper also reads that the Legion is the largest Veterans organization in Canada and are given the responsibility to preserve the Poppy symbol. By doing so, the letter said, it's ensuring that it's not used for commercial or personal gain.
Harper has since purchased stickers to cover the Poppy.
"What symbol can a veteran use to represent our collective sacrifices? There's a national day of remembrance, but we remember everyday," said Harper.
Harper wasn't the only veteran entering the political arena in central Ontario using a Poppy on their election signs.
Chris Dupee of Newmarket has been campaigning with the Poppy emblazoned on his signs as he seeks a seat in the council chambers.
"It's a direct reflection of who I am and I'm trying my hardest to introduce myself to my community," said Dupee.
The former soldier served with the Royal Canadian Regiment from Petawawa and was a LAV gunner in Afghanistan in 2008 and 2009 before joining the Joint Personnel Unit, which is the Canadian Forces arm that coordinates mental health treatment.
Now retired in Newmarket, he owns a mental health clinic for veterans.
"I do not want to take it down. The Poppy is something very important to me as well as other veterans and believe we should have a symbol that we can use and display with pride," said Dupee, who claimed he wouldn't be removing the Poppy.
In a statement to CTV News the Royal Canadian Legion explained that the Poppy is a symbol of Remembrance of Canada's Fallen and not a tool for political candidates.
"They will need to find other ways to reflect Veteran status during a political campaign," the statement read.
According to a political science professor at Kings University College, using the Poppy could be a competitive advantage.
"There's no party affiliations so candidates are looking for really clear cues for the voter and identifying yourself as a veteran would one of those cues," said Jacquetta Newman
Now with the election weeks away, both Harper and Dupee, who say they had no prior knowledge that either would use a Poppy on their signs, are urging the Legion to reconsider its rules.
"In this inclusionary world we live in toed at I think it's time to maybe have the legion revisit some of these politics of what they symbol mean and what it means to veterans," said Harper.
"The sacrificial of life, limb, mind; it's everything to me," said Dupee referring to the Poppy.
The two said regardless of the results on October 24th they will continue advocating for veterans both locally and across the country.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.