The CBC removed a CBC Kids News video on Monday after a Juno News investigation and wave of criticism online came down on the state broadcaster for platforming unconventionally coloured poppies and their causes during Remembrance Day.
The CBC’s resurfaced video, which was still online Monday, tells children that some people are using different-coloured poppies because they feel the traditional red poppy “focuses too much on soldiers.”
The CBC Kids News video, originally published on YouTube in November of 2021, features host Isabelle MacNeal and serves as an explainer for children about the history and use of the poppy.
The controversy arose from the host stating that some organizations and individuals are using white, purple, black and rainbow poppies for other war-related causes, while simply stating that the Legion “disagrees” with the use of these other variations of its traditional trademarked poppy.
“Recently, different colour poppies have been popping up. So what’s the deal? Well, some feel that the red poppy focuses too much on soldiers and can be perceived as glorifying war,” MacNeal says in the video. “While the Legion disagrees with this, multi-coloured poppies have sprung up as a result.”
After Juno News asked the CBC to respond to the criticisms and explain whether they stand by the video, which was still available on its Kids News channel, Chuck Thompson, a spokesperson for the state broadcaster, said, “The video has been taken down.”
