Anyone with any historical perspective understands that the beaver has historical roots to the coeur d'bois who laid the foundation for Canada through the fur trade. Perhaps the beaver doesn't present as imposing a figure as the polar bear but it was a good enough symbol for the troops at Vimy and Normandy.
But then Harper doesn't have a grasp on the meaning of bravery does he? What with the way he hides behind cowardly attack ads on his rivals. Or telling some sap he appointed Senator to propose the symbol switcheroo.
Eaton, a former Montrealer who married into the Toronto-based retail dynasty once famous for its catalogues, had previously sung the praises of the beaver before her recent turn against the animal, which she now calls a "dentally defective rat."
In a speech in Parliament last year, Eaton expressed admiration for the beaver as a pivotal player in "the founding of our country."
She quoted fur-trade historian Harold Innis in saying that "the history of Canada has been profoundly influenced by the habits of an animal that fittingly occupies a prominent place on her coat of arms. The beaver . . . "