Juno News - Was Don Cherry right about the poppy？

00:00:00.000 November 11th, do you know why that date's important?

00:00:02.920 Because of World War I? 0.69

00:00:04.780 It's Remembrance Day, right?

00:00:06.080 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th.

00:00:08.040 Yes, absolutely.

00:00:09.040 Isn't it like when they like do like the fallen soldiers?

00:00:13.840 Yes, Remembrance Day.

00:00:14.880 It's Remembrance Day, right?

00:00:16.640 9-11?

00:00:17.720 No, no, November 11th.

00:00:19.920 Oh, Remembrance Day!

00:00:26.520 Well, Remembrance Day is four days away.

00:00:29.380 And we're here at Yonge and Nundas Square in Toronto.

00:00:32.780 I guess it's now called Sankofa Square.

00:00:35.060 And we wanted to ask people here if they even know the significance of November 11th to begin with.

00:00:40.940 To be quite honest with you, you don't see many poppies in this city these days.

00:00:46.180 Famously, five years ago, Don Cherry on Hockey Night in Canada,

00:00:50.880 his final Hockey Night in Canada appearance,

00:00:53.720 called out immigrants, specifically immigrants,

00:00:56.600 but I think he was really calling out all Canadians.

00:00:59.380 For not wearing a poppy,

00:01:00.900 for enjoying what makes Canada so great,

00:01:03.820 taking in all the benefits of our country,

00:01:05.540 but not wearing a poppy on Remembrance Day

00:01:08.200 and during the Remembrance Day period

00:01:09.720 to show your support for our fallen veterans.

00:01:12.860 As he famously said in this clip.

00:01:15.160 You people love you.

00:01:16.780 They come here, whatever it is.

00:01:18.520 You love our way of life.

00:01:19.960 You love our milk and honey.

00:01:21.120 At least you could pay a couple of bucks for poppies or something like that.

00:01:25.380 One in every four or five hundred people in this city are wearing a poppy,

00:01:29.860 which is quite depressing.

00:01:31.100 You would think that during the Remembrance Day period,

00:01:33.340 this would be a time when Canadians would all want to be seen wearing a poppy 1.00

00:01:37.120 and showing their support, not only for the Legion, but for our fallen veterans.

00:01:42.180 Well, we're here to ask Canadians on the street five years on 0.98

00:01:44.760 from those famous Don Cherry comments

00:01:46.740 whether or not Cherry should have been fired

00:01:49.400 for calling people out for not wearing a poppy.

00:01:52.220 We also want to know, frankly,

00:01:53.860 if people even know what the significance of November 11th even is.

00:01:58.000 Let's see what people have to say.

00:01:59.320 Back in 2019, Don Cherry famously called people out for not wearing a poppy.

00:02:03.620 What do you think of those comments five years on?

00:02:06.740 Can you remind me of what he said exactly?

00:02:08.380 He called out people.

00:02:10.040 He specifically called out newcomers to Canada

00:02:11.880 for not wearing a poppy on Remembrance Day,

00:02:14.360 and he took it as insulting for troops.

00:02:16.960 But we want to know what people think now after so long.

00:02:20.380 I think maybe he should have just understood

00:02:23.680 that sometimes it takes time to assimilate.

00:02:27.720 Maybe, you know, these people who weren't wearing poppies aren't familiar.

00:02:31.000 I mean, I'm not wearing one right now because I haven't gotten one yet.

00:02:33.340 But, you know, some people, if they're new to the country,

00:02:36.520 they might not know the significance.

00:02:38.720 So I just think we should practice more, you know, empathy for those people.

00:02:42.500 But I understand the willingness to want to respect the troops

00:02:45.940 and our veterans and all that,

00:02:47.040 but I think maybe he should have just taken the time to understand

00:02:50.320 why some people may not have been wearing some.

00:02:52.700 Do you think Don Cherry was right to call out people

00:02:54.960 for not wearing a poppy on Remembrance Day?

00:02:57.080 I think so, yeah.

00:02:58.580 Do you think he should have been fired for those comments?

00:03:00.980 Nope.

00:03:01.300 I mean, we owe a lot to our veterans.

00:03:04.880 I think we've seen our freedoms erode a lot in this country,

00:03:08.960 but, you know, because of our current government,

00:03:11.720 and hopefully they'll be ousted soon.

00:03:13.520 But, yeah, absolutely.

00:03:16.180 The veterans who fought World War I, World War II,

00:03:20.540 to give us our freedoms, you've got to look after them.

00:03:23.960 Do you think he should have been fired?

00:03:24.880 Honestly, I'm going to be real, not really.

00:03:28.220 Yeah.

00:03:28.500 Because, like, I've been living here my entire life, and I'm forgetting.

00:03:31.640 So it's like, and we should know, bro.

00:03:34.400 Yeah.

00:03:34.700 Because it's our duty as Canadians, right, to know this sort of stuff.

00:03:37.880 Because they're kind of just, like, putting their lives on the line

00:03:40.000 for, like, us to, like, continue having, like, nice lives.

00:03:44.300 Do you think he should have been fired,

00:03:45.380 or do you think they should have let it go and let him keep his job?

00:03:48.020 Well, you know what?

00:03:48.640 I was actually an immigrant.

00:03:50.040 I immigrated from Cuba when I was five years old.

00:03:52.160 I agree with Don Cherry.

00:03:53.260 Yeah?

00:03:53.660 Yeah, I feel like no matter where you came from,

00:03:55.820 we should still remember the people who passed away in the war.

00:03:58.820 Do you think he should have been fired for saying what he said?

00:04:01.620 No.

00:04:02.320 No?

00:04:03.460 No, I feel like everybody's entitled to their own opinion,

00:04:05.940 but at the same time, it definitely has to be filtered

00:04:07.880 to where we are and what people are about.

00:04:10.640 So, I don't think so.

00:04:13.160 I think they should have let it go,

00:04:14.420 because some people might not be educated on the topic,

00:04:16.340 so they might have not known that it was Remembrance Day that day,

00:04:19.500 especially for, like, newcomers, like, immigrants.

00:04:21.820 They wouldn't know, maybe.

00:04:22.820 So, I don't think he should have gone fired, but yeah.

00:04:25.440 I mean, it's a probable, like, it makes sense,

00:04:28.820 but, like, also, like, they should have, like,

00:04:30.400 enough respect to, like, we're the poppy

00:04:32.100 for, like, people that had to, like, risk their lives

00:04:34.320 just to save us, you know?

00:04:36.000 But, like, I feel like, yeah,

00:04:39.360 I feel like they deserve to lose it.

00:04:41.960 He should have been fired, do you think?

00:04:43.200 I think it's maybe that, maybe, like,

00:04:46.640 him getting fired is a bit unnecessary.

00:04:48.780 There can be a little bit of validity there,

00:04:50.980 like, being upset, obviously.

00:04:52.280 Like, the reason why, you know, we have this country

00:04:55.100 is because people have sacrificed themselves.

00:04:57.980 At least maybe not something that's wearing, like, a poppy,

00:05:00.140 but we should always remember and appreciate those people,

00:05:02.260 because they sacrificed a lot.

00:05:03.560 Absolutely.

00:05:04.060 And right now, like, obviously, the country's not perfect,

00:05:06.640 but we have a lot of great things,

00:05:09.720 and the reason why so many people come here

00:05:11.520 is because Canada is, compared to the rest of the world,

00:05:14.820 is a pretty good country.

00:05:16.080 We're asking people if they know the significance

00:05:18.140 of November 11th.

00:05:19.340 Do you know why that date's important?

00:05:21.200 Because of World War I, too.

00:05:23.220 Right, so do you think the majority of people in the city

00:05:26.080 know about Remembrance Day and know when it is?

00:05:28.140 Yes, I do.

00:05:29.080 What do you make of the number of poppies people are wearing?

00:05:32.360 Do you think the numbers have gone up or down?

00:05:34.720 I think they've gone up.

00:05:35.680 I've noticed a lot of them.

00:05:36.540 I have one, but it's in my other coat, so I feel bad because I always have it on,

00:05:41.340 and I think it's really important to remember what they fought for for us.

00:05:44.700 And the last question I have for you is,

00:05:45.760 do you think that the government should be doing more for veterans right now?

00:05:49.620 No, I think that they're doing as much as they can.

00:05:51.860 Do you know why that date's important?

00:05:52.940 Yeah, Remembrance Day, sure.

00:05:54.140 Perfect.

00:05:54.400 Yeah, yeah, and what do you think?

00:05:55.760 Do you think the majority of people in the city know about that?

00:05:59.160 Yeah, sure.

00:05:59.600 You see people with poppies, like, walking around and s***, you know?

00:06:02.600 Do you think more should be done to raise awareness for veterans' causes?

00:06:06.540 I mean, sure, why not?

00:06:07.980 Yes, sure.

00:06:08.980 There should be more respect shown to the veterans on Remembrance Day

00:06:12.280 because Canada has a rich history of fighting in World War II,

00:06:18.480 and I'm completely aware of that.

00:06:20.520 And we should always pay the respect to all our soldiers and all our youth

00:06:27.380 who sacrificed their lives just to keep the Canadian culture and Canada's flag alive.

00:06:33.120 So, definitely, I'm completely supporting that.

00:06:36.640 And we should keep this tradition alive almost day after day.

00:06:39.900 Do you think more should be done to raise awareness for veterans' causes?

00:06:44.060 Oh, most definitely.

00:06:45.340 They get the shot nowadays.

00:06:46.780 Yeah?

00:06:47.140 Yeah.

00:06:47.940 And why do you think that is?

00:06:49.060 Why do you think the government doesn't seem to be doing enough for veterans?

00:06:51.920 That would be a good question to ask Trudeau.

00:06:54.540 Do you have any ideas, do you think, as to why they seem to be neglected?

00:06:57.440 Well, they're probably too busy having their own vacations

00:07:00.440 and eating good food and spending our hard-earned money.

00:07:03.480 Do you think more should be done to raise awareness for Remembrance Day and veterans' causes?

00:07:07.980 Yeah.

00:07:08.420 Yeah.

00:07:09.120 100%.

00:07:09.960 And do you think a lot of people in the city know about Remembrance Day?

00:07:14.600 Like, they know of it, but I don't think they know the importance.

00:07:17.320 Okay.

00:07:17.720 All the details on it.

00:07:18.760 Everyone just knows, like, you wear a poppy.

00:07:20.320 That's about it.

00:07:20.860 From your observation, do you think that this year, compared to previous years,

00:07:24.740 has been better for poppy wearing and support for the Legion, or what do you think?

00:07:29.500 No, it's all been...

00:07:32.600 It feels like this year has been less than last year.

00:07:35.500 Yeah, we usually come out as much as we possibly can during the time,

00:07:39.900 but once again, volunteers are slim for this.

00:07:42.940 So boxes in stores is kind of where we get to make it.

00:07:47.420 And Canadians can find Legion boxes in local stores

00:07:51.880 and be able to donate to the Legion in services?

00:07:54.120 Yep.

00:07:54.740 So you can definitely donate during, like, this two-week period for November

00:08:00.280 and the end of October.

00:08:02.220 Most LCBO stores, you'll find them in Tim Horton's stores,

00:08:06.980 sometimes Shoppers Drug Marts.

00:08:09.300 It's kind of where the stores allow us to do it.

00:08:12.480 But we also have to now be careful, because we've had so many in previous times

00:08:17.260 be stolen by people.

00:08:18.960 So it's made it a little harder and people a lot less trusting of the boxes.

00:08:22.580 For sure. Well, thank you for doing what you're doing.

00:08:24.840 I think it's really important.

00:08:26.160 Yeah, thank you so much.

00:08:27.060 Also, you can do it online.

00:08:29.500 They've got this new thing.

00:08:30.660 There you go.

00:08:31.200 Okay, great.

00:08:32.140 So they can transfer it on...

00:08:33.460 They can donate online about stuff like that.

00:08:35.460 Great. All right.

00:08:36.180 We'll put this up on the screen.

00:08:37.260 Well, there you have it.

00:08:37.880 Not a lot of poppies out on the streets today in Toronto.

00:08:41.140 It's not Remembrance Day.

00:08:42.540 It's four days away.

00:08:44.040 So there's still enough time for people to get their poppies,

00:08:47.220 donate to the Legion, show their support for our veterans.

00:08:50.040 Interesting.

00:08:51.200 Very few people took issue with Don Cherry's comments five years after the fact.

00:08:55.780 It was dominating news cycles all over Canada, of course.

00:08:58.960 Everybody had their own opinion on what Don Cherry said.

00:09:01.420 But let me ask you in the comments section,

00:09:04.520 do you think Don Cherry was right to call out immigrants for not showing support

00:09:08.180 for our veterans and the sacrifices they made?

00:09:10.440 Was he right to call out people for not wearing the poppy 1.00

00:09:13.320 and coming to our country and reaping all the benefits of living in our country

00:09:17.920 without showing support on the one day that it matters, on Remembrance Day?

00:09:21.880 A lot of people, however, didn't know about Remembrance Day.

00:09:24.360 They know the importance of it.

00:09:25.400 They know why it's valuable.

00:09:26.520 So that should be a positive note to take home.

00:09:29.340 And when it comes to Don Cherry's comments, basically nobody thinks he should be fired.

00:09:33.560 Young and old, they all kind of think those comments were totally fine to make

00:09:37.600 and perhaps ahead of his time.

00:09:39.840 Remembrance Day is on Monday.

00:09:41.360 Remember to have a moment of silence and be thankful and honour the sacrifice

00:09:46.480 that thousands and thousands of Canadians made

00:09:49.980 so we could live in this country and live the life that we do today.

00:09:53.940 Signing off from Toronto, Harrison Faulkner for True North.

00:09:59.340 All right.

00:10:01.260 We'll be right back.

00:10:09.680 All right.

Juno News - November 07, 2024

Was Don Cherry right about the poppy？

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