By Sobia Moman
The poppy is taking on an immortal and digitized life this year, with the Canadian Legion breaking into the new business of NFTs – also known as non-fungible tokens.
This year marks the 100 year anniversary of the poppy, so The Legion decided to do something special.
NFT are a digital, one-of-a-kind file that is the new way for individuals and corporations to sell forms of art, becoming extremely popular in the last year.
Called “The Immortal Poppy,” the Legion’s NFT is ingrained with the names of the 118,000 soldiers who have given their lives on behalf of Canadians.
Of those soldiers, over 200 were Indigenous Canadians who died during the Second World War.
There are 10 different NFTs which are each dedicated to different fallen soldiers, from a female soldier, to BIPOC soldiers and a soldier who died by suicide.
All of the money raised from the poppy NFT sales will go to the Dominion Command Poppy Trust Fund to help Canadian veterans and their families. The fund is for veterans to access services such as assistance for experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and supporting homeless veterans.
This year’s campaign to raise money for veterans is carrying on the legacy of Madame Anna Guérin, “The Poppy Lady from France.” She was inspired to raise funds for veterans using the poppy, and The Immortal Poppy is the continuation of her goal today.
The NFTs are sold using the Ethereum currency and anyone can purchase them on the website and through OpenSea.
READ MORE: Federal leaders remember sacrifices, injustices endured by Indigenous veterans
