Oh, Canada! I expect better from you.

I know you're not perfect, Canada. You probably have some flaws. I can't really think of any except maybe curling? Oh, and you did give us celine dion and Justin Bieber, but you also gave us Kids in the Hall and kd Lang, so I guess we're even on that score. Oh, and Leonard Cohen! I almost  forgot Leonard Cohen, forgive me, gods of music.
Anyway, I know it's unfair to expect you to always be better than us in every way, but really - THIS?

Canadian town refuses to remove swastikas from park as mayor defends local history

Okay, why in the Hell are there swastikas in a Canadian park? Canada fought on the right side of WWII. My late father-in-law dropped bombs from a RCAF plane onto those Nazi bastards. Who the hell is putting swastikas in your parks, Canada?

A Canadian village has refused to remove swastikas from a local park after an activist tried to paint over the controversial symbols.
The Nazi emblems are on an anchor that is on display in Pointe-des-Cascades, about 50 miles west of Montreal in Quebec.

Oh. Okay, maybe I'm wrong. Is this an anchor from a Nazi warship that was sunk by the Canadian Navy? It's a war trophy? Because that would change everything.

Corey Fleischer, founder of a group called Erasing Hate, was trying to paint over the symbols last Thursday when he was stopped by the local mayor, Gilles Santerre, who called police to have him removed from the park.

Seriously? The mayor doesn't have bigger fish to fry? The Mayor is out patrolling parks looking out for vandals?

Stressing it was part of the area's local history, he said the anchor, which belonged to a merchant vessel, predated the Second World War and was discovered by divers 25 years ago.

Oh yeah, you gotta preserve that local history. Let us never forget that time in 1992 that a couple of local fellas found that anchor. That was pretty cool, right? You know, cuz it was pretty old, like an antique or something. We will never let anyone take away that moment of glory!

He cited a Radio Canada article that said the swastika was a symbol of peace before 1920.

Yes, and the word "f__got" used to mean " a small bundle of sticks," but no decent person would be okay with that word being thrown around in a public park.

 The mayor sad the symbols would not be removed, but promised to place a more descriptive plaque next to the anchor to clarify its history.

 Oh, yeah. You gotta clarify that this well-known symbol of hatred and murder has an important place in your town's history, having been stumbled upon by a couple of scuba divers and all.

David Ouellette, of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said Mr Fleischer should not have acted without consulting the village but said it was important the anchor's history was made clear to the public.
"If you're going to display publicly the swastika, it's important to give the full context," Mr Ouellette told the CBC.

Or you could, ya know, just not display the goddamned swastika!

Come on, Canada! People down here look up to you. You have to set a better example. Remember, you're a role model.