Canada’s national crown that connected its history with British royalty has been remade to remove religious symbols such as the cross and the fleur-de-lis, both of which are Christian symbols.
The Canadian Heraldic Authority, which creates coats of arms, flags and badges for Canadian citizens and institutions unveiled a new symbol for the nation in May. The previous St. Edward’s Crown, based on the centuries-old crown used by British royalty, has been part of Canada’s coat of arms since 1957.
"The Canadian Royal Crown prominently features maple leaves, a quintessential Canadian symbol used extensively since the 19th century to represent Canada and all its citizens," Canada’s official Governor General website wrote. "In place of the orb and cross at the top of the crown is a stylized snowflake, a reference to Canada being a northern realm."
Canada, while an independent country from the United Kingdom, still sees itself as being under the reign of His Majesty King Charles III. But some critics have denounced the new crown as symbolically divorced from the nation’s past, with some even joking it celebrates the leadership of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and dubbing it the "Trudeau crown."
"It means the proposed Canadian crown is totally unconnected to the King or the coronation," Christopher McCreery, author and expert on Canada’s relationship with the Crown told the National Post. "It means the unity of the symbol of the Royal Crown that represents the sovereign throughout the realms will be broken, further distancing the King and the monarchy as an institution."
McCreery also said he was concerned the redesign was undertaken with "no consultation or debate, developed in secret."
The National Post quoted multiple commentators saying the snowflake symbolism was accurate, with one commentator arguing, "As the cross has been replaced by a snowflake, surely it's better suited for the Snowflake-in-Chief: Justin Trudeau, the Emperor of Woke."
"Snowflake" is often used a derogatory term for a person who is entitled, easily offended by common sense truths, and obsessed with their uniqueness, believed to have been coined by author Chuck Palahniuk in his 1996 novel "Fight Club."
Many commentators took to Twitter to write about the alteration of a national symbol.
Canadian priest, Father Matthew P. Scheider tweeted, "This is such a sad day for Canada."
"Don't worry. We're going to fix this the first day after we throw Trudeau out of office," political writer and campaigner Stephen Taylor wrote.
Canadian YouTuber MartyUpNorth asked, "How many years before ‘God’ is removed from all Canadian institutions, including the Charter and our National Anthem. I say less than 7 years if Trudeau gets reelected."
Canada’s political leadership, especially Trudeau himself, have been criticized for being some of the most repressive in the western world, to the point it has been compared to the Communist regime in China.
Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history to quell the trucker's "Freedom Convoy" anti-lockdown protest in the capital city of Ottawa amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This controversial decision gave the government the power to prohibit public assembly, restrict travel, require businesses - such as tow companies - to act on the government’s demands and freeze the bank accounts of those suspected of supporting the convoy.
When Trudeau later criticized the Chinese government for its own crackdown amid the pandemic, commentators like Avi Yemini, a correspondent for Rebel News, labeled Trudeau a hypocrite.
"OMG! Justin Trudeau is CONDEMNING China for their treatment of anti-lockdown protesters and journalists on the ground. The chutzpah of this guy. After HE did the exact same thing. LOOK IN THE MIRROR TYRANT," he tweeted.
Joe Silverstein contributed to this story.
