Why maple leaf on canadian flag

In April , Pearson became Prime Minister and risked losing power in a bid to find a new design, despite opposition from John Diefenbaker. 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.

In , King George V declared the red and white colours as the official colours of Canada. Later in , 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 , 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. He preferred one well-stylized maple leaf, as it communicated unity and could be immediately recognized as Canadian. He also advocated for simplicity and traditional symbols. Emblems from other countries such as the Union Flag or the fleur-de-lys were not favoured. He rejected the Canadian Red Ensign as being too complicated and hard to identify.

In his letter to Matheson, Stanley had traced a route leading to a national flag. However, getting his vision accepted would require a long intellectual and political journey. The flags submitted to the committee totalled some 5, As in —46, they tended to be repetitive.

There were many beavers , maple leaves, Union Jacks, fleurs-de-lys, lions, stars, the polar star, religious symbols, various crosses, and stripes. Casson of the Group of Seven submitted a blue flag with three red maple leaves edged in white. However, none of the designs seemed to command the respect expected of a national flag. The Flag of Canada is unique in that it displays a white square in its centre. This could not be described in the heraldic language of the time. This expression is now accepted as part of heraldic vocabulary.

See Heraldry. Another unique feature is the stylized maple leaf, which required painstaking work. The original leaf as depicted by Alan Beddoe, artist for the committee, had 13 points. He finally opted for 11 points and supervised the stylization of the leaf. Everything became so precise that, when the proportions and stylization of the leaf are not respected, the flag loses much of its beauty and impact. Yvonne Diceman, artist and calligrapher , prepared the actual royal proclamation on a piece of vellum calf skin provided by Beddoe.

Since the early years of the 19th century, the maple leaf had been recognized as a Canadian emblem by anglophones and francophones alike. It was celebrated in poetry, song , coinage, medals and flags, as well as in popular imagery such as postcards. With the flag, the maple leaf became the emblem of all Canadians. No doubt it also helped strengthen the fleur-de-lys as the national emblem of francophones in Quebec and elsewhere.

See also: Franco-Ontarian Flag. National Flag of Canada Day was instituted in The chosen date was 15 February, in commemoration of the day the flag was unfurled on Parliament Hill. The event is observed nation-wide in various ways, although it is not a national statutory holiday. Search The Canadian Encyclopedia. Later, in , a select parliamentary committee was appointed with a similar mandate and examined more than 2, submissions.

Agreement on a new design was not reached, and it was not until the s, with the centennial of Canadian self-rule approaching, that the Canadian Parliament intensified its efforts to choose a new flag. In December , Parliament voted to adopt a new design. Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed February 15, , as the day on which the new flag would be raised over Parliament Hill and adopted by all Canadians.

But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! On February 15, , the entire member U. Among those killed in the crash was year-old Laurence The federal government approved the use of the newly designed flag on Canadian buildings abroad, such as at Canada House in London. In , its use was expanded to federal buildings within Canada. Partially, federal officials feared a negative backlash from the French Canadian population.

French Canadian hostility to the Union Jack and all British symbols increased during World War I, as Robert Borden, the Prime Minister at the time, was forced to bring in conscription compulsory service in the military.

French Canadians resented being forced to serve under British commanders and a British flag in war, even if they were defending France.

Although the Canadian Red Ensign contained other symbols in addition to the Union Jack — including the French fleur-de-lis — French Canadians still rejected it. Quebecers were more loyal to their own provincial flag , consisting of a white cross on a blue background, with a white fleur-de-lis in each of the four quadrants, and no British symbols.

These two groups would continue to play a prominent role in subsequent debates over choosing a national flag for Canada. King appointed a parliamentary committee to recommend a design for a national flag; however, it quickly became evident that it would be impossible to gain widespread agreement.

The Prime Minister quietly dissolved the committee before it released its final report. In , King appointed a parliamentary committee to choose a flag design.

This time, the committee submitted a final report to Parliament. The design they recommended was a variation on the Canadian Red Ensign.