Canada's new passport design sparked controversy as it excludes images of significant Canadian historical figures, events and landmarks. .Critics claim the move is an attempt by the Trudeau government to “erase” the country's past. .The new design features animals like owls and bears instead of iconic Canadians and symbols such as Terry Fox, Nellie McClung, The Last Spike, Centre Block, the Stanley Cup, and Vimy Ridge..The passport's cover still displays the coat of arms, but adds a maple leaf..READ MORE New Canadian passport design introduced, celebrates diversity, eliminates ‘historic images'.“One of the things I heard from consultations was we want to celebrate our diversity and inclusion, we want to celebrate our natural environment … and [we] tried to bake those elements into the design,” said Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser at a press conference Wednesday.. New PassportThe erasure of Canadian symbols from the country's passport is not accidental, writes Dr. Barry Cooper. It is the consequence of Prime Minister Trudeau's personal rejection of Canada's national story, in favour of the post-national fantasy he believes in. .“The design of this passport started 10 years ago and this is really about ensuring the security of the document,” said Families, Children and Social Development Minister Karina Gould. .“I think when you look at the images here, they are fairly traditional Canadian images.”.“I mean, if you look at polar bears, and people jumping into a lake, and birds in the winter, I mean, I think it really captures the spirit of who we are as Canadians,” said Gould..In the House of Commons on Wednesday, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre raised concerns about eliminating Canadian history from the new passport..“They erased Vimy Ridge to put in an image of a squirrel eating a nut,” said Poilievre..“They erased Terry Fox, a guy who ran halfway across the country to fight cancer, to put in a man raking leaves. And they erased Quebec City in order to put in what appears to be an image of a boyhood prime minister swimming at Harrington Lake. Could this prime minister be any more out of touch with Canadians?”.At the press conference, Fraser was asked why the historical images were not used in the redesign and responded the designs were created based on discussions with government departments like Canadian Heritage and indigenous communities..The Royal Canadian Legion in a statement said it's “disappointed by the decision to remove an image that signifies the sacrifices made for the very sort of freedom the passport provides.”.“The Vimy Memorial was a fundamental image, also representing a defining moment in Canada, a country emerging as an independent nation with limitless potential,” said the Legion statement. .“Removing that image in the context of a design change and without knowing the rationale was, to put it bluntly, a poor decision.”.Brad West, the mayor of Terry Fox’s hometown of Port Coquitlam, BC, expressed disappointment in a tweet about the redesign's exclusion of historical images..“Whoever made the decision to remove Terry Fox from Canadian passports needs to give their head a shake. Our country needs more Terry Fox, not less.”
