Wh
and why are people wearing it this time of year?
I am Isabelle MacNeil
and this is KN Explains the poppy.
Short answer - it's a flower.
OK, there you have it. That's it for KN Explains.
I'm Isabelle MacNeil... [record scratch]
Just kidding!
Yes, it is a flower
but it's also a symbol of remembrance
that was started 100 years ago.
That's right.
It's the 100th anniversary of the poppy.
So let's take you all the way back to the beginning
just a little bit more than a 100 years ago.
July, 1914 -
The beginning of World War I.
A massive conflict that will last a little over four years.
Spring 1915.
Canadian officer John McCrae writes a poem
after the death of one of his close friends in battle
titled 'In Flanders Fields'.
The poem describes the poppies
that grow on the battlefields of Belgium
and the graves of fallen soldiers.
Shortly after in December 1915,
the poem is published in Punch magazine
and quickly becomes one of the most popular war poems
of the time.
November 11, 1918.
World War I ends.
Three years later a woman named Madame Ana Guerin,
inspired by the poem,
begins making and selling poppies to raise funds
to help people and places recover from the war.
The campaign is successful
and she presents the idea to the allies of France,
one of whom is a group that will eventually become
the Royal Canadian Legion.
1921, the organization that would become the Legion
officially adopts the poppy as a symbol of remembrance
to help the living and honour the dead.
Then, from 1922 all the way to 1996,
poppies are made by veterans of war.
From 1996 onwards,
the Legion manufactures poppies in a factory.
OK, so that is the slightly longer
than 100-year-history of the poppy.
But why are people wearing them
specifically at this time of year?
That has to do with Remembrance Day.
So what is it?
Well, remember that huge timeline thing I showed you
and how World War I ended on November 11th,
that day became known as Armistice Day,
a day to commemorate the end of World War I
which was held on the first Monday
of the week of November 11th every year.
Then in 1931, Armistice Day became Remembrance Day.
So what's the deal?
Did they just want to change the name? No.
The key difference was that
Remembrance Day was held on November 11th
where Armistice Day was held
on the Monday of the week of November 11th.
And it's been that way ever since.
So where does the poppy fit in?
It is the official symbol of remembrance.
And according to Steven Clark,
the Executive Director of the Legion...
We see poppies at this time of year
because starting the last Friday in October
straight through until Remembrance Day
is when we conduct what's called
the Annual National Poppy Campaign.
During the campaign,
the poppies are available for free.
However, the Legion takes...
Donations that are provided by individuals taking a poppy.
And according to the Legion, 100% of the money raised...
Goes back to supporting veterans,
supporting their families and promoting remembrance.
It's also important to know that
only the Legion is allowed to use the poppy or its image
and not everyone is happy about that.
In 1948, Parliament...
Provided that poppy trademark
to the Royal Canadian Legion National Headquarters here.
That means only the Legion is allowed to use the poppy
and its image for commercial use.
And anyone else has to get permission
from the Legion to use it.
According to Sean Bruyea,
an ex-ministry officer and advocate for veterans,
the trademark is...
It's called a monopoly,
meaning that they are the only ones
that can decide how that poppy is used.
But Steven Clark says the trademark is important.
It is protected from any entrepreneurial game
or any unwanted or wrong uses.
However, according to Bruyea...
Less than 10% of present-day veterans
belong to the Legion when before more than 50% belonged.
He says there are other organisations...
That are a 100% veteran members.
Some have perhaps maybe even larger
veteran member populations.
Who should have a say in how the poppy is used?
But that's not the only thing people disagree about
when it comes to the poppy.
Recently different colour poppies have been popping up.
So what's the deal?
Well, some feel that
the red poppy focuses too much on soldiers
and can be perceived as glorifying war.
While the Legion disagrees with this,
multicoloured poppies have sprung up as a result.
The white poppy -
that's supposed to be a symbol of peace
that represents all that were affected by war,
both civilians and non-civilians.
The black poppy seeks to highlight and remember
the contributions of African, Black
and Caribbean people to war.
The purple poppy highlights all animals
that were harmed in war.
And the rainbow poppy,
although there is no official organisation behind it
with a clear message,
it has been seen in recent years
and some claim it is associated with the contributions
that LGBTQ community has made to war efforts.
But it is a bit of a mystery
so it could very well just be
a colourful take on the popular symbol.
And that's not all, believe it or not,
there was even disagreement about wearing one at all.
In 2020, grocery stores chain Whole Foods made headlines
when employees were not allowed to wear poppies.
This was a store policy intended to create consistency
across all their stores.
There was massive public backlash
and the policy was reversed shortly after.
In 2019, broadcaster Don Cherry complained on how people,
and he singled out newcomers to Canada,
don't wear the poppy.
As a result, he was fired.
And finally, people even disagree
on how to wear the poppy.
Now there is a preferred way -
on the left side of your body above your heart.
However, Steven Clark from the Legion says...
Important thing is that you wear a poppy.
Who would've thought this one letter flower
would have such a long and rich history
and have so many people
passionately expressing their opinions on it.
That's it for KN Explains.
For CBC Kids News, I am Isabelle MacNeil .
There was a lot of information in that video.
Wonder where I got it off from?
I interviewed Steven Clark,
the executive director of The Royal Canadian Legion.
I also spoke to Sean Bruyea,
a former Air Force Intelligence Captain
and a veterans advocate.
I also referenced information found on websites like
the Government of Canada,
The Royal Canadian Legion,
CBC, the Canadian War Museum
and Veterans Affairs Canada.
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