Top 60+ years of Canada’s Maple Leaf Flag
Our home and native land...
They say a flag should be simple, easy to draw, and easy to identify at a distance. The national flag of Canada certainly fits the bill, with the red maple leaf over a white background being a universally recognized icon embraced by Canadians.
Much younger than you might think
In fact, it’s easy to forget that the flag of Canada is much younger than most national flags around the globe, being adopted on February 15, 1965.
Thank you, Mr. Pearson!
According to Canada.ca, the national flag was adopted during the premiership of Lester Pearson, as the country was preparing to celebrate the 100 years of the Confederation in 1967.
The red ensign
Before the adoption of the flag in 1965, Canada used the Red Ensign, displaying the Union Jack with the Royal Arms of Canada.
Fighting the good fight
Encyclopedia Britannica writes that the debate on the so-called Flag Problem gained momentum after the Second World War, when Canada was developing a stronger national identity distinct from Great Britain.
Dominion no more
For instance, the Canadian Encyclopedia explains that while Dominion of Canada is the country’s formal title, the word “Dominion” was quietly dropped from government documents in the early 1960s.
Union Jack or no Union Jack
According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, the flag debate was long and bitter, with English Canadians (such as then-Opposition Leader John Diefenbaker) demanding the Union Jack to be included into the new ensign.
Pictured: Diefenbaker with US President Dwight Eisenhower in 1961
A new flag for a new country
Meanwhile, Pearson and the Liberal Party insisted on a flag that Canadians could be loyal, free from the colonial past.
Looking for a signal
Canada.ca writes that there were many proposals for the new flag. Pearson proposed a sprig with three maple leaves, on a white background and surrounded by two vertical blue stripes. However, his proposal was rejected by the Canadian Parliament.
We have a winner!
For weeks, the Great Flag Debate raged on in Ottawa until George Stanley, Dean of Arts of the Royal Military College, proposed a single, stylized maple leaf over a white background surrounded by two red vertical stripes.
