American Reacts to Heritage Minutes: Canadian Flag, Richard Pierpoint & Norman Kwong 

Richard Peirpoint was a free man in Canada at the time of the war of 1812. Canada wasn't a country then, it was a colony of Great Britain. If the US won then they would bring slavery back. He was born free in Africa and even if he died fighting the war or If or he helped Britain win, either way he would die a free man.

Prime Minister Lester ("Mike")Pearson wanted a new flag with a maple leaf on it, because when he served in both World War 1 and World War 2, he noticed that Canadian soldiers sewed maple leaf patches on their uniforms so they wouldn't be mistaken for Brits, and put maple leafs on their tanks, fighter planes, and personal gear. When he was a diplomat, before becoming PM, he had to face down the U.K. in 1956 so they wouldn't drag us into a stupid war in Egypt, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Thanks to the post-war baby boom, Canada was a young-feeling country, and only very conservative oldsters were attached to the old, crappy-looking "ensign," which wasn't even a proper flag. But, while he was a great man in many ways, artistic taste was not his strong point. Everyone is glad we got the one that John Matheson decided on. . . . Slavery had been abolished in Upper Canada in 1793, and shortly after in Lower Canada --- long before it was abolished in the British Empire. For some years, there remained a few "slaves" since an exception was made for a small number of mostly elderly slaves who voluntarily remained in their status, though under strict regulations of treatment. No new slaves were permitted, and any American slave became instantly free the second he set foot on Canadian soil. At that time, the overwhelming majority of Canadians were morally opposed to slavery, but a handful of rich people were for it. However, there weren't many rich people in Canada. They probably couldn't have filled a big room. During the American Revolution, the British had promised American slaves would be free if they fought on the Loyalist side. They kept the promise, though it was pretty difficult for these men to reach Canada, and most were recaptured and enslaved in the Southern states after the war. There were, however, many free Blacks in New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, where sentiments against slavery was fairly strong, who chose to fight for the American Revolution. American slaves escaped to Canada in great numbers to reach freedom. Many First Nations tribes in the U.S. fled to Canada for obvious reasons. When Americans invaded Canada in 1812, Black Canadians and Canadian First Nations volunteered in great numbers to fight off the invaders. During this war, the British Empire still had slavery, and when military units were sent to defend Canada, they included some slaves from the Caribbean. Since Canada was not yet independent from Britain, the Canadian laws could not free them. While Great Britain sent some professional troops to Canada, and a talented commander, the bulk of the fighting was done by local Canadian militia (such as the company that Pierpoint organized), recruits from the maritime colonies that would later become part of Canada, and our Mohawk, Seneca, and Ojibway forces. The British commander, General Brock, was greatlu respected by the First Nations, and his personal friendship with Chief Tecumseh was a critical factor, but Brock died heroically at the battle of Queenston Heights near the beginning of the war. Richard Peirpoint was an older man when the invasion occurred, but he was still willing to put his life on the line to remain free, which is why he is remembered. Long after the war, he died on his farm in Garafraxa Township, Ontario (a place I know well) at the age of 94.

I remember seeing the Norman Kwong set on the News a few months ago. They were talking about the heritage minute film process and they mentioned that these 1 minute clips can take up to a year to produce. All because they want accuracy all the way down to certain props.

The beaver flag looks more like a postage stamp to me

Louisiana was originally colonized by French Canadians following the King of France. Later, Acadians from the east coast became the Cajuns there.

Remember the Alamo. A popular term used in the US. This sparked a US invasion which brought slavery back to Mexico. The Alamo was a battle to reinstate Mexican law that had outlawed slavery and Americans living on Mexican territory rebelled because they wanted to preserve their right to own slaves. This is exactly what would have happened in Canada, if the Americans had won the war of 1812. French Canadians, English Canadians, the British, the Aboriginals and former slaves all United to stop this invasion.

The three maple leafs were already on our shield, which was on the flag prior to our current flag. Known as the Red Ensign. It's why it's design was prevelant in the nominated flags. And while I think it looks good on the shield, I think the single leaf has stronger symbolism on the flag itself

I think the key piece to understanding the Richard Pierpoint story is knowing about the Loyalists. Pierpoint was enslaved in the U.S., and when the Revolutionary War began, Britain issued a proclamation that any Black man who enlisted to fight on their side would be acknowledged as free. That promise was largely kept even though the British lost, with Black Loyalists being evacuated to Canada after the war. (Historical asterisk here - that was all well and good for the people who escaped slavery to enlist, but most of those enslaved to white Loyalists were kept enslaved when their white masters were brought to Canada.) Richard Pierpoint was fighting against his enslavers in the Revolutionary War. The reason he was intent on fighting the U.S. again in the War of 1812 is because if the U.S. took over the territory where he lived, he and his community would be once again living in a country where they could be enslaved. He's speaking very literally when he talks about fighting for his freedom, not using the term in the general rhetorical way of 'preserving your way of life' that most North Americans use it today.

The Grey Cup is the championship game and trophy for the Canadian Football League, similar to the Super Bowl for the NFL. The Grey Cup was first competed for in 1909, while the Super Bowl has only been around since 1966.

Tyler the last flag you showed, red background Union Jack in the upper left corner, was Canada’s flag before the Maple leaf.

back in 1793, in USA, he would have been a slave, in Canada (UK at the time, he was a free man)--that's why he fought for the british in the American revolution, and again for the british in the war of 1812. He wanted to remain free...it was nothing against you guys, it was for his freedom only. As you can see, history of Canada & USA are very often intertwined & have many in common. My history teacher in high school always repeated this to us, and that's why we learned part of USA history as part of Canada's history. Many schools in Canada focus only on Canada's history, but this teacher liked to challenge authority, and did his own history program. Best teacher I had in my high school years--he also did an extra focusing on WW1 and another focused on WW2. And a year later for the Cold War (again with parts of USA history & of course Russia's history all blended together).

The flag that you said you were really glad we didn’t pick is called the Canadian Red Ensign, and it WAS our flag until the maple leaf replaced it. The change came about when our flag was mistaken for another former British colony (I think it was South Africa but I can’t remember for sure)

LOL - you should have seen some of the suggestions for our new flag. I myself submitted several designs to the "contest" that the Vancouver Sun ran for their Little Sunrays Club. Most of them involved unicorns but one had a moose.

Norman Kwong is a legend in Calgary. I love his story of breaking through his glass ceiling and creating new opportunities for Asian-Canadians. Richard Pierpoint was smart enough to know how to convince Canada to let him lead, and to make sure very little of his men were lost. At the end of the war, his Corps saw among the least amount of casualties on Canada's side. He was a genius. Thanks for reacting to these again

Norman Kwong AKA “The China Clipper”

As a Canadian of 42 years, I have never heard or seen anything about Norman Wong before so thank you for sharing this with us today. :) o/ gotta say 50 likes in the first half hour of being posted... not too shabby :)) I'm number 51 lol

It was first raised on my Birthday Feb 15/65. I was there for it and was so proud we at last had a flag which really represented Canada without any British or French symbolism. I later carried it in a Drum Corp all over Canada and America. Quite the thrill every time.

I can now unironically state that Tyler has watched more "Canadian content" than most Canadians I know lol

The Earl of Grey who donated the Grey Cup trophy to the CFL (when he was Governor General) was the nephew of the Earl who first imported what we now call Earl Grey tea into the UK.

The Canadian flag is the only flag with a perfect 2:1 aspect ratio. The red represents sacrifice in war. The white represents peace. The maple leaf is a symbol of the land, and represents a unifying symbol to all Canadians. It also represents human freedom (that meaning is tied to Vimy Ridge in WWI).

The lieutenant-governor is not a politician, but then Queen's or Monarchs representative as the head of state for the province of Alberta. The governor-general of Canada is today's King's representative for our national government.

Each of the provinces and Territories have their own flags too

Fyi. The Expulsion of the Acadians you did previously led to Louisiana's Cajun French population.

I love watching these and smile when i remember learning about it as a young child.

I lived in Calgary for a while in the 80’s. went to a Stampeders game on Normie Kwong day, everyone was given a Normie Kwong mask to wear at the game. It was hilarious to see a full stadium of Normie Kwongs. He was loved in Calgary.

I recall the three Maple Leaf flag with the blue ends - not the others. You’re right about some of these flags looking like automaker logos.

Richard Peirpoint has recently received a huge honour, here in Niagara, his original farmland was in a small valley, in which the first Welland Canal was dug in the 1820s ... by the 1840s, his farm was flooded as part of the second Welland canal and mostly forgotten; some 120 years later, in 1967, his farm became Confederation park to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the constitution; but, now, Confederation park (or at least a part of it) is being renamed for Richard Peirpoint himself!

The Red Ensign was the flag of Canada before the Maple leaf flag.

i had the honour of meeting Judge Matheson because I served in the Army with his son, Rod. In addition to his record as an MP and Judge, he served with distinction in the Second World War and got badly wounded in Italy. We had this in common: we all served in the same regiment!

The Super Bowl is the US version of the Grey Cup. Btw, the Grey Cup is much older. Canada crowned 54 Grey Cup champions before the US held its very first Super Bowl.

Calgary and Edmonton sports fans have a TREMENDOUS sporting rivalry that goes back decades, but on one issue we stop the chirping and agree: Normie "The China Clipper" Kwong was one of the best to ever play the Canadian football game. He won 1 Grey Cup with Calgary and three with Edmonton and fans of both clubs are proud of him. When the Calgary Flames won the Stanley Cup in 1989, Normie Kwong was an owner of the team. As such, he became only the fifth person in history to have his name engraved on both the Grey Cup and the Stanley Cup. We're especially proud of him here in Calgary, where he was born and raised. We're not proud of the systemic racism he had to endure, but we ARE proud of the fact that this Calgary Kid overcame all of that crap and succeeded.

The Canadian flag with the red background and The British Union Jack in the top left corner was The Canadian flag previous to The Maple Leaf Flag. It was the flag of my entire youth.

Hey thanks for doing these! They started when I was in high school they were played constantly as commercials in between programs. Please keep them coming, love your reactions to them. It’s a relief seeing Americans learning about our country Canada since most of us Canadians know about your history ❤️👊

You should react to the CFL if you're a football fan. Much deeper history and much more exciting than the NFL (or as we like to call it, no fun league).

I really love our Canadian flag. You're right, It is kind of A little bit funny with the Maple leaf. But it's very symbolic of Canada and with the bold colours this flag is easily recognized everywhere. It's very cool story about Richard pierpoint. He wanted to continue to fight for his freedom because he was born a free man, that's amazing. I'd never heard of norman kwong so this is very interesting.

Uninteresting fact: The flag is exactly 11 months older than I am.

I remember the flag debate back in 65? There was a political cartoonist for the Toronto Star who did a cartoon of the political leaders of the time playing as toddlers in a sandbox, each trying to put THEIR preferred version on a sand castle.

The flag at approximately five minutes into the video was the flag of Canada prior to 1965!

The Red Ensign actually was Canada's flag from about time of World War II until 1965. Until the war, the Union Jack (British flag) was the official flag. A l9t of people, especially outside Quebec, wanted us to retain the Red Ensign, but Pearson felt that the presence of the Union Jack in the upper left corner was alienating to French-Canadians, because it was a constant reminder of the British conquest of the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Other Commonwealth countries, like Australia and New Zealand, still have the Union Jack on their national flags, and people there don't seem to feel any less Australian or New Zealander.

Normie Kwong - well known and popular where I come from. Grey Cup = Super Bowl in Canada. He was a Star in the Canadian Football League. He was also appointed by the Queen later to be Lt-Governor of Alberta!! Wonderful Man!

The flag with The three maple leafs on it can be seen in the video of the avro flying saucer

My mom is very proud to tell anyone at all that she and the flag share a birthday. 😄 Also, I don't care what anyone says, I love CFL football. It's a slightly different game than what's played in the US (Fun fact! It can be debated that the first football game was played in Montreal!), but it's a great time to attend a game and the Grey Cup is a super fun weekend of just hanging out with awesome sports fans. :)

The flag with the British Union Jack in the corner was our flag until the current maple leaf flag was adopted.

Well the cajuns from Louisiana were expelled Acadians fromCanada

The former slaves were free men in Canada. They fought to maintain their freedom.

I am sure Tyler Rumple fans would be thrilled to hear your reaction to the flag at 5:00

Slavery became illegal in Britain and British colonies 100 years before the US. So many American slaves escaped on the underground railroad to Canada where they could be free. Also, after the American Revolution, the United Empire Loyalists wanted to remain loyal to the king and came to Canada. Not sure which way he came here, but either way he would be free. If the Americans won the war of 1812 the people who came here to be free would be slaves once again. Obviously, they didn't want that so they fought on behalf of Britain

Diefenbaker wanted the British Union Jack on the flag. When the Maple Leaf flag was raised he lowered his eyes.

"Tyler Bucket" is an anagram for "Better Lucky".

his nick name was the "China Clipper" due to his speed.

Normie Kwong was known as the China Clipper, a nick name he truly deserved. One of the greatest running backs to ever don a Canadian Football League jersey.

Slavery was outlawed throughout the British Empire 80+ years before the U.S. They escaped the U.S. and went to Canada to be free and did it through the railroad.

Tyler, the Maple Leaf on the Canadian flag the 11 tips on the leaf represent the 10 provinces plus one for the Northwest Territories.

One reason USA doesn't teach this war 1812 is because they didn't win. I live in the area that was fought for and know 1812 history. Just watch a documentry on this war. You would love history docs if you would watch them. Unfortunately most of USA do not research history of other countries. Please remember there is a huge world outside of USA.

The Coloured Corp was an all black unit raised to fight on the side of the British. Their first action was the Battle of Queenstown Heights, Oct 1812. A claim to fame for the Runcey's.... No Member of the Coloured Corp ever deserted. In Hamilton, Ontario at an Historic Site called Dundurn Castle there still remains fortifications that were built by the Coloured Corp in preparation for the Battle of Stoney Creek, Jun 1813.

The one with the two blue dots, if you turn it sideways, looks like a cartoon character staring at you.

The heritage minute is o.k., but that wiki page sucks. SO obviously written to sound like Norm's time and acheivments in Edmonton were somehow secondary to his time in Calgary. Norman Kwong belongs to every Albertan, and is a true inspiration to all Canadians who long for and strive for the "better society".

I was in Kindergarten when the new flag was introduced. I am pretty sure the new flag has a connection with the upcoming Expo 67 in Montréal.

The British have institutionalized racism to a very high degree. WRT Chinese, in 1885, they instituted a $50 (equivalent to $1,576 in 2021) head tax for Chinese immigrants, which lasted for decades. And to this day, Canada has proudly embraced the british racism, embodied in the way it treats the Native and the French population.

"Royal proclamation" - for something to become a law, the Governor General - GG or Royal stand-in - has to sign it / rubber stamp it. Queen Elisabeth made sure that she was not in the country if a bill needed to be signed in to law. Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey gave us the Grey Cup, and Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey gave us Earl Grey tea. The Grey cup is awarded to the season's winning CFL team. Lt. Governor is the same as the Governor General, but for Provincial Government. They rubberstamp bills in to law.

Minus the leaf, the white & red ground of our current flag was used on Canadian armour as ID in the Western Europe campaign in WWII.

Norman Kwong "The China Clipper". Clipper, vernacular... as in "Clip your wings", "Knock your block off" and/or reference to the American Boeing Clipper Ships, the Boeing 314.

There's also Lebanon has a tree on their flag.

180 seconds of Heritage Minutes and 15 minutes of Tyler fake laughing...

RE: Louisiana - Cajuns are descendants of Acadians. Cajun is just slang. That's why Gambit from the X-Men has a French accent. That's where the Acadians went after their forced walk out of Canada.

As I am watching this episode one of the comercials RU-vid showed me was the French heritage minute for Normie Kwong. I don’t speak French 😂. But I am enjoying a late February snowstorm in Edmonton .

Tyler - you are familiar withe the expression "give'er". So you understand when I say "give'er" in terms of your goal to complete all the Heritage Minutes.

Awesome work Tyler 🎉

Normie Kwong is a legend here in Calgary

I'm sure you'll love the heritage moment about the Yukon mountie (i can't remember his name). All i can say is that he's got balls of steel...

Regarding the Maple leaf flag: the two red stripes represent the oceans that border us, ''From sea to sea''.

My late mother, born in southern Alberta, and raised in BC, thought of Lester Pearson as the least appreciated of Canada's really good prime ministers. The one thing for which she never forgave him, however, was his decision to create a new flag for Canada. My mum was a proud Canadian Scot.

How can you watch just three at a time? I couldn't stop at three. I would want more and more.

Tyler when they say loyalist they are talking about formal Americans that wanted to stay loyal to Britain

I don't think you quite got it. Pierpoint was fighting to remain a free man. Defeat of British North America (present day Canada) would mean he might become a slave again.

CFL is a great football game, bigger field, less downs - older championship cup ..etc you should look into more

thanks tyler

The original maple leaf had thirteen point to signify the ten provinces and the three territories, but it had been changed to the current eleven point leaf.

In the War of 1812, the USA was undoubtedly the "bad guys." You were the aggressors. Madison saw that the Brits were busy with the French and thought he could seize on the opportunity to take over the British colony of Upper Canada (he probably would not have gone into Lower Canada, or what is now known as Quebec, as the French would eventually ally with the Americans in the conflict.) Canadians learn of the War of 1812 as part of our history because the colonial history is part of our history. Americans, for the most part, hardly learn of the conflict at all (except the border states that were directly affected by the war). Natives learn of the war because large areas of their land was ceded to the Americans. To the British and Continental French, this was just a minor skirmish in the colonies that formed a part of the larger Seven Year War. Oh, and the Brits (Canada) burned the White House forcing Madison to flee while his supper was still warm on the table (as popular folklore tells the story). A "Loyalist" or United Empire Loyalist was a person who stayed loyal to the Crown in the American Revolutionary War. They were granted land in Upper Canada as a thanks for their loyalty and service. That is how one branch of my family came to Canada, as well. So anytime you see that someone is referred to as a loyalist during the post-Revolutionary War period, that would mean they fought in the Revolution on the King's side.

acadians were deported to louisana that’s why louisiana has their cajun ethnicity it’s not actually originally american

Québec choose a flag 15 years earlyer, so the federal government felt pressure to follow suit.

That flag you didn’t like was our flag from 1868 till 1965 .

The Flag was the Red Ensign (Union Jack in the Corner with the 'Shield' in the red field. Red HAD to be the colour. King George V had declared earlier in the century that British Dominions south of the equator would be Blue (Australia, New Zealand etc) and all British Dominions north of the equator would be Red. The Maple Leaf is perfect. And Red.

Lieutenant (pronounced Leftenant) Governor is the title of The King of Canada's Provincial (one in each Province) Representative. As such, the position is not, and must never be, 'political'. Each Provincial Lieutenant Governor is appointed by The King on the advice of the Prime Minister. As such, each one carries out many duties on behalf of The King, including giving Royal Assent (signing) to each Bill passed by the specific Provincial Legislature. Each Bill must be given Royal Assent before it can become official Law and be Proclaimed. At the Federal level, the same is true for The Governor General, but on a much broader scale of duties, including giving Royal Assent to all Bills passed by Parliament. The Lieutenants Governor and the Governor General serve at the pleasure of The Sovereign, however, the term of each is usually for five years. With each position, they assume the title 'Honourable' for life. Chimo

Tyler will be ready to apply for Canadian citizenship when he'll be forced to move to Canada on November 6th 2024 to preserve his mental sanity. It's good he is preparing for the move ahead of time. Suggest Calgary as his final destination for a smooth and easy transition.

These "Minutes" are the elements that make Canada as good as it is, and always has been (not great again) Like the ingredients to baking the perfect cake, while letting you see all those ingredients. Think in the USA, and how often you hear that OTIS elevator was started by a black man? You guys need 'Minutes' too!

There is an Indigenous Flag also by Kwakwaka'wakw artist Curtis Wilson. Similar design concept but depicts salmon and a killer whale.Take a peek; it's beautiful!

I like the Canadian flag. It matches a Belgium waffle with butter

Ok Tyler i have some notes for you. When reacting to these heritage minutes, please watch the full clip then offer your insights. The clips aren't long just a minute in length anyway. When you keep interrupting the video it spoils the flow of the clip.

Read the comments Tyler, they are very explicit !!!!! You will gain great knowledge from these comments.

I hope you will explore the origins of the Canadian mounted police on your podcast someday.

That was the Canadian flag for like 250 years 5:04

The Red Ensign should have remained Canadas flag. It was nicer. Even the one at 6:43 is nicer looking than our current flag.

9:56 no, I’m pretty sure he was brought to British North America

A Royal Proclamation is the final signaure on all of our legislation. It makes legislation the law. Normally, legislation has 3 readings in the House of Commons, 3 readings in the Senate, then is signed into law. You're taking the word "royal" too literally. The law is signed by the Governor-General, who is our Head of State. Yes, by delegation from the UK ruler, but that's just a paper exercise.

Canada refused to change the British Union Jack. They stole the flag of the French Canadians from the St-Jean Baptiste society. The Quebec flag was adopted in 1949 and its origin comes from the French military flag of our ancestors at the time of New France. The Canadian flag has only existed since 1965!?....Canada is only 157 years old and Quebec 265 years!?

Those videos are 1000% better if you just watch them straight through, less chance of missing stuff. No reason to pause 10 times in a 1 minute video.

The Canadian Red Ensign was more or less the flag used to represent Canada during the late 19th and early to mid 20th centuries and underwent several modifications during that time. However as Canada was growing and changing it was felt by many progressive people and politicians that a fresh new flag to represent the modern Canada was needed, especially as the 100th anniversary or centennial of the country was about to happen in 1967. Of course the Conservative party which always fought hard against any kind of progress or change tried really hard to stop it and keep the old red ensign with all its ties to the UK. Needless to say non British Canadians weren’t overjoyed at keeping the British Union flag as part of the Canadian flag. This resulted in the longest parliamentary debate in Canadian history but eventually the right design was found. The Canadian flag is almost impossible to confuse with any other country’s flags, unlike all those striped tricolour flags. And even the Stars and Stripes sometimes gets confused with the flag of Liberia. The maple leaf in its green colour was actually used by British soldiers in their early years in the future country of Canada to cover their redcoat uniform and make them harder to see. Now both Australia and New Zealand are starting to consider creating new flags as theirs look a lot like each other’s flag and are basically a blue version of what Canada used to have. 🇨🇦🇦🇺🇳🇿🇺🇸🇱🇷🇲🇾🇨🇺🇧🇪🇹🇩🇨🇮🇮🇪🇫🇷🇮🇹🇲🇱🇳🇬🇦🇲🇧🇬🇪🇪🇭🇺🇱🇻🇩🇪🇬🇦🇷🇺🇾🇪🇳🇷🇲🇨🇵🇱The closest one to Canada’s flag is probably the flag of Peru:🇵🇪

I'm older than the Canadian flag lol

Btw the nearest English pronunciation to the French word "Unifolie" (which translates to "one leaf") would be something akin to Yew-nee-foh-lee-yay .