The Canadian Flag

It wasn't until the 1965 inauguration of the maple leaf flag that Canada had its own national flag. In the early days of Confederation we used the Royal Union flag, or the Union Jack.

In 1925 and again in 1946, Prime Minister Mackenzie King tried to get a national flag of Canada adopted, and failed. In 1964, Prime Minister Lester Pearson took up the cause and  appointed a 15-member, all-party committee to come up with the design of a new flag. The committee was given six weeks to complete its task.

The suggestion for a red and white single maple leaf design for the flag came from George Stanley, a professor at Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. Now lets take a brief second to note that STANLEY was a fascinating man and worth reading about. Anyways.  Red and white came from Canada's Official Colours (thanks George), The maple leaf at the time had no particular meaning with the exception maple leafs were once used to decorate for a visit from the princess of whales.

The official ceremony inaugurating the  Canadian flag was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on February 15, 1965, with Governor General Georges Vanier, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson,  and thousands of Canadians in attendance. The crowd sang the national anthem O Canada followed by the royal anthem God Save the Queen. 

In his speech at the flag inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Lester Pearson said:

"Under this Flag may our youth find new inspiration for loyalty to Canada; for a patriotism based not on any mean or narrow nationalism, but on the deep and equal pride that all Canadians will feel for every part of this good land."

The Honourable Maurice Bourget, Speaker of the Senate, spoke these words: "The flag is the symbol of the nation's unity, for it, beyond any doubt, represents all the citizens of Canada without distinction of race, language, belief or opinion."

The Maple Leaf

According to many historians, the maple leaf began to serve as a Canadian symbol as early as 1700

In 1834, Ludger Duvernay is reported to have proposed the maple leaf as an emblem of Canada

In August 1860, the maple leaf was adopted as the national emblem of Canada for use in the decorations for the Prince of Wales' visit.

In 1914, many Canadian soldiers wore the maple leaf on their military badges

In 1939, at the beginning of World War II, numerous Canadian troops once again used the maple leaf as a distinctive emblem

Marks Act protects the National Flag of Canada against unauthorized use. Requests to use the flag should be addressed to

Manager
Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion
Canadian Identity Directorate
Department of Canadian Heritage
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0M5
Tel: (819) 994-1616
Fax: (819) 997-8550 

Did You Know?  Oak Island, Nova Scotia is the site of one of the world's greatest archeological enigmas. For the past 200 years, its deadly secret has lured adventurers and explorers, among them Franklin D. Roosevelt, John Wayne, and even Errol Flynn. Long ago, someone came to this island and buried something. Exactly who they were and what they buried remain unknown to this day. Yet over two million dollars have been spent and six lives lost in the search for an answer...