There乌鸦传媒檚 a direct correlation between the call of five former prime ministers calling on Canadians to fly the maple leaf for Flag Day and a flurry of activity at both a shop in Victoria, and a subscription service in Oak Bay.

There was a small sales bump in response to U.S. President Donald Trump乌鸦传媒檚 promise of tariffs on Canadian goods and services, says Freyja Zazu, manager of The Flag Shop Victoria.

But the Feb. 11 call by former prime ministers to mark the 60th anniversary of the Canadian flag on Feb. 15 initiated a spike in customers.

乌鸦传媒淯sually our high season is in the middle of summer around Canada Day 乌鸦传媒� it乌鸦传媒檚 feeling like that level. Normally we乌鸦传媒檙e quite quiet in the winter,乌鸦传媒� Zazu said.

Joan Peggs is 乌鸦传媒減retty sure乌鸦传媒� that news planted the seed for a flurry of new subscribers to the Rotary Club of Oak Bay flag program.

For $55, Rotary volunteers install Canadian flags in celebration of Victoria Day, Canada Day and Labour Day on lawns across the Capital Region 乌鸦传媒� removal included.

Currently at 550 subscribers, the club normally starts with Victoria Day in May. This year, the celebration starts early with Flag Day.

乌鸦传媒淚 think the impetus is starting to hit people,乌鸦传媒� Peggs said. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e putting as many of our flags up as possible for Saturday. This is a one-off obviously.乌鸦传媒�

The response also highlights continued campaigns by residents to buy local and celebrate all things Canadian as a response to U.S. leadership concerns.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 been really exciting to see all these people come in and buying flags,乌鸦传媒� said Zazu, who noticed one other trend. 乌鸦传媒淭hey want them to be made in Canada which is really nice.乌鸦传媒�

Fortunately, with sewing on site, The Flag Shop Victoria won乌鸦传媒檛 run out of flags any time soon, though some sizes and styles may dwindle in stock.

Zazu likens the positive vibe to the days when the masses supported health care and other essential workers with heart flags.

乌鸦传媒淚 guess the good thing is we乌鸦传媒檙e all coming together.乌鸦传媒�

Rotarians will madly plant as many Canada flags as possible across the region, and Zazu plans to head out and document the anticipated wave of red and white on Feb. 15.

乌鸦传媒淚 want to drive around and walk around and see all the flags everywhere. It乌鸦传媒檚 going to be exciting to see so many Canadian flags out.乌鸦传媒�

Ahead by a century

Anyone with 100 years on their hands can get on the list for a free Canada flag courtesy of the federal government.

Canadian residents can request a free flag that has flown on Parliament Hill by adding their name to a waiting list. Due to high demand, only one flag is given per person and household. Flags cannot be sent outside of Canada. 

The waiting period for both the Peace Tower and other Parliament Hill flags currently exceeds 100 years.