There’s been a lot of talk over the past few years about the white poppy- a new flower some are wearing beside or instead of the usual red poppy we commonly wear for Remembrance Day. What you might not know is that it actually isn’t new. It was in 1926, only a few years after the introduction of the red poppy, that the “No More War Movement” brought forward the idea of having a different poppy with a different meaning. However, the controversy surrounding it throughout the years has prevented it from being popularized.
The Peace Pledge Union is the main source for information about the white poppy, and where you can actually buy them in bulk. According to their website, the white poppy symbolises the belief that conflict should be solved in other ways than war. The poppies themselves are shaped similarly to their red counterparts, but have a green centre imprinted with the word ‘peace’. Some wearers of the white poppy believe that the red one glorifies war, and doesn’t work to prevent conflict in the future.
Many disagree with this, as the red poppy is a national symbol that is supposed to represent the sacrifice made by Canadian soldiers and to help us remember the price of war. Canadian entrepreneur W. Brett Wilson tweeted this in defense of the red poppy a couple years ago:
The other concern with the alternative poppy is that the original one created and sold by the Royal Canadian Legion donates their funds to serving and retired veterans. These are important donations that go towards helping people who need it. Many worry that the purchase of the white poppy is taking away from that. The funds from the white poppies go towards the Peace Pledge Union’s education work.
Remembrance Day is for appreciating sacrifices, no matter what poppy you will be wearing this year. You can find out what events are going on around Victoria here.