On any normal day, Ottawa is dotted with Canadian flags — adorning federal buildings and topping the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill.
But the national symbol has been virtually everywhere in the city over the past few weeks. Protesters have literally wrapped themselves in the Maple Leaf during the anti-vaccine mandate demonstrations that have occupied the downtown core — demonstrations that police moved to end on Friday with dozens of arrests.
Protesters’ use of symbols has been controversial since the convoy rolled into town roughly three weeks ago. Sightings of Confederate flags and swastikas were major events early in the protest. On Friday, the Manitoba Métis Federation
