My Canada is owned by the government
From
today's Ottawa Citizen: "The federal government is spending nearly a quarter of a million dollars a year chasing down people who take Canada's name in vain, and making them stop. If you use our country's
coat of arms without permission, the
Treasury Board will tell you to cease and desist. Same thing with the
'wordmark' -- the 'Canada' with the little flag over the final letter."
Who's been targeted?
BlogsCanada, for one (its logo can be found elsewhere on this page). And the
Sex Trade Workers of Canada. "Their website posts news about prostitutes: For instance, how police in Calgary are investigating a prostitute's death, and a list of missing women. It used to feature the Canadian coat of arms. No longer. Today the site restricts itself to a map of Canada, and a photo of a blond woman in a jaunty, not-quite-Mountie outfit. (The skirt seems suspiciously micro). And they're not happy with their treatment."
They were threatened with charges.
The queer heroes at Vancouver's
Little Sister's Book & Art Emporium were also slammed. The story doesn't give details -- but gosh, isn't it odd how Little Sisters
fights the power, then keeps getting targeted? An odd coincidence indeed.
"The federal government is using the Canadian Trademark and Copyright Act to maintain the value of a recognized set of symbols for the good of the country."
Not my country, though. Somebody else's version of my country.