The inclusiveness of it. That’s what I like about the Maple Leaf tartan.  That’s what makes it special. The waistcoat I wear when I sally forth in formal dress? The matching tie? They are in the Maple Leaf tartan. So now a Liberal senator is proposing a bill to establish that tartan as the official national tartan. The tartan was registered in 2008. To make it official requires only a government proclamation. And surely this is overdue? Any Canadian who wishes to embrace the Scottish pluralism of Canada — the multi-ethnic and multi-racial dimension of the country, as introduced early by such figures as Major John Norton, the Cherokee Scot, and James Douglas, the “Scottish West Indian” — can join the parade in the Maple Leaf tartan.  While we’re at it (checking the above link), let’s also establish April 6 as Tartan Day in Canada. Stand fast, Craigellachie!