Last Updated on September 21, 2021
The National Flag of Canada often referred to as the Canadian flag or, unofficially, as the Maple Leaf or l’Unifolié consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of 1:2:1, in the middle of which is featured a stylized, red, 11-pointed maple leaf charged in the centre. It is the first flag to have been adopted by both houses of Parliament and officially proclaimed by the Canadian monarch as the country’s official national flag. The flag has become the predominant and most recognizable national symbol of Canada.
The Canadian national flag was sanctioned by a resolve from the House of Commons on December 15th, 1964, and later approved by the House of Senate on the 17th of the same month. The flag of Canada was then decreed by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on February 15th, 1965 during an official inauguration ceremony for the new Canadian flag on Parliament Hill.
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Brief History of the Flag of Canada
The national flag of Canada is an outcome of the input of several prolonged centuries of stirred national debate to choose a design that demonstrated the history and heritage of the Canadian people. The earliest flag to be used in Canada was George’s cross in 1497. Later, in 1534, Jacques Cartier implanted a cross in Gaspe featuring the French royal coat of arms and the fleurs-de-lis. The Union Flag, which is the national flag of the UK (also, usually referred to as the Union Jack), was used since 1964. The use of the Union Flag continued even after Canada acquired freedom from the British in 1931, pending the implementation of its current flag in 1965.
In 1867, following the Canadian Confederation, the necessity for a distinctly Canadian flag materialized. The first Canadian flag used at this time was that of the Governor General of Canada, which featured the Union Jack with a shield at the center and quartered arms of Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia enclosed by a garland of maple leaves. In 1870, unofficially the Red Ensign, which included the Canadian shield, started being flown and was referred to as the Canadian Red Ensign and was later approved for use at sea in 1892. However, the composite shield was substituted with the Coat of Arms of Canada during its endorsement in 1921. In 1924, the flag was approved for use on buildings associated with the Canadian government internationally.
In 1925, however, William Lyon Mackenzie King, formed a board to design the national flag of Canada but the committee was disbanded before delivering the end product. Nonetheless, in 1927, 1931, and 1939 new designs were proposed. Years later, on November 8th, 1945, a dual committee of the House of Commons and the Senate was chosen to recommend a national flag for the Canadian people. The committee received 2,409 samples from the public. Fortescue Duguid declared that red and white were the official colours of Canada, and the three joined maple leaves used on the Canadian coat of arms should remain as the emblem of Canada. A decision was made and the new flag of Canada featured a red ensign consisting of a maple leaf in golden autumn colours in an enclosed white field.
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Later in 1960, the great flag debate intensified following an objection by the Egyptian government to Canadian peacekeeping because the Canadian flag (which was the red ensign at the time) featured the identical symbol used on the Union Jack which represented Britain. Following this objection, Lester B. Pearson made it his personal goal to ensure the Canadian flag was distinctively and unmistakably Canadian. In April 1963, Pearson became Prime Minister and risked losing power in a bid to find a new design, despite opposition from John Diefenbaker. On May 27th, 1964 Pearson presented his favorite design, submitted by Alan Beddoe, in which the flag featured Canada’s motto of a “sea to sea” consisting of three adjoined red maple leaves on a white background and blue borders, which became known as the Pearson Pennant. Later in the same year, a new all-party committee consisting of liberals, conservatives, new democrat, social crediter, and creditiste was formed to come up with the decision on the official flag of Canada. After a period of six weeks, the committee settled on two designs, one was that of the Pearson Pennant (Beddoe’s design) and the present design of the Canadian flag. The current design, made by George Stanley and influenced by the Royal Military College’s flag, was sanctioned in Parliament and declared by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on February 15th, 1965 as the national flag of Canada.
Meaning Behind the Colours of the Flag of Canada
In 1921, King George V declared the red and white colours as the official colours of Canada. White originated from the French royal emblem while red originated from Saint George’s cross. Later in 1962, white and red became ingrained as the Canadian national colours, following the declaration by the Royal Standard of Canada.
However, the maple leaf, apart from being considered a national emblem for the Canadian people, did not have any official symbolism. In 1964, George Stanley, a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada suggested that the red and white maple leaf design should be part of the Canadian flag and his design succeeded the Pearson Pennant.
The flag of Canada is symmetric which means the front and back sides are indistinguishable. The breadth of the Canadian flag is two times its height. The white band referred to as Canadian pale which was named after the flag, is located in the square midsection in the vertical triband flag. Each of the adjoining red bands is precisely 0.5 times the size of the middle white band which bears the stylized red maple leaf. The overall flag ratio is 1:2:1.