Symbols of Canada: Historical flags and the National Flag of Canada

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SYMBOLS OF CANADA:Historical flags and the National Flag of Canada.

Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra



Symbols of Canada: Historical Flags and the National Flag of Canada

Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra, April 2011 1

Preface

Nothing makes the citizens of a nation prouder than the appearance of thenational flag. A flag is not simply a piece of cloth, but a symbol evoking aplethora of intense feelings and profound emotions, appearing in all sorts of

places, from battle fields to game fields. A flag is the highest and most sacredsymbol of a country, treasured by the people and honoured by the publicofficials, representing the nation’s psyche in and out of the country,epitomising its history, past, present and future aspirations, and accumulatingthe abstruse idea of what a country is. The national flag of Canada and theflags of the provinces and territories are symbols of honour and pride for allCanadians and should, accordingly, be treated with respect. This article is atribute to the Canadian Flag, which recently celebrated its 45th birthday.

IntroductionAlthough Canada truly became a sovereign country in 19311, it lacked anational flag: it used, for a good many years, the Canadian Red Ensign, a“borrowed” flag from the British Navy, whose use was for a long time notofficially legitimised. There was no flag which Canadians, regardless of extraction, could fly to proclaim their Canadianness, a result of Canada’sexternal dichotomy, being entangled between the disparate usage2 of flags inthe United Kingdom and the United States. The use of the maple leaf itself,which was not officially sanctioned until 1965, was an outlet from Canada’sinternal dichotomy, the ambiguous loyalty to the Nation and the Empire.

Although today Canada’s flag is the most recognisable symbol of the country,and is appropriately honoured by its citizens - regardless of ethnic background-, it is in fact the product of a much bitter debate, which divided Canadians for98 years. Acknowledgement should primarily be given to the two rival politicalprotagonists, Diefenbaker3 and Pearson, both of whom were ardent Canadianpatriots, adhering though to different visions for Canada, personifyingCanadian Imperialism and Canadian Nationalism, respectively, so aptly

encapsulated by the symbols each chose to represent his country.

1. The passing of the Statute of Westminster by the Imperial Parliament, on 11 December 1931,formally declared that all the self-governing Dominions of the Empire/Commonwealth and Britainwere constitutionally “equal in status”, with “no member subordinate in any way” to another,changing the legal status of the Dominions (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa).2. Contrary to American practice, whose stars and stripes represented the citizens and could beflown by them freely (a common practice only after the Civil War, 1861-1865), there was no suchprecedent or provision in the British ceremonial: the British subject had no such flag; the UnionJack was the flag of the sovereign and his/her representatives. Its keen use as a national flag by theBritish is a post-World War II (1939-1945) phenomenon.3. Despite his tenacious opposition to the adoption of a Canadian flag, it should not be forgottenthat, ironically, his election campaigns in 1957 and 1958 had engendered a tremendous feeling ofnational pride among Canadians. But, the Canadianism which he embraced had blossomed beyondhis vision and he was left in its wake, as the champion of the old Canadian imperialism.





Early Canadian flags

Canada’s history is marked and largely defined by its past as a colony and avast land shared (or, perhaps, divided) between the First Nations and two of the World’s largest colonial nations, Britain and France, which often found

themselves in armed conflict between them. This dual past has been anintegral part of Canada’s identity, which has now evolved from a bi-communalcountry into a multi-cultural mosaic of nations.

The first flag flown over Canadian soil was theEnglish flag (a white flag with St. George’s RedCross in the middle, established in 1277). It wascarried by John Cabot, a Venetian sailing underEnglish colours, and raised upon his reaching theEast coast of Canada in 1497. This flag was used in

the English colonies of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

In 1534, Jacques Cartier landed at GaspeHarbour and claimed the new land for France,thus forming the Nouvelle France and Québeccolonies, located in eastern and centralCanada. During the French sovereignty, eightmilitary flags were used4, including the whiteflag of la Marine Royale after 1674, but the

fleur-de-lis flag, representing French royalty, was the most prominent of all.

Following the Treaty of Paris, Canada wasceded to Great Britain in 1763, whose flag atthe time was the two-crossed Royal Unionflag5. Although it was first flown in Canada inthe British Settlement in Nova Scotia in 1621,it was used in all of Britain’s colonies in North

America, from Newfoundland to the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1801, following the Act of Unionbetween Great Britain and Ireland,Canada started using the present RoyalUnion flag (with the addition of St.Patrick’s red diagonal cross). On 18December 1964, the Canadian Parliamentapproved the continued use of this flag, as a symbol of membership in theCommonwealth of Nations and allegiance to the Crown (see page 17).

4. Details about these flags may be found at http://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/FLAGS/ca-16-fr.html.5. Commonly known as the Union Jack, its original version (used since 1606) was an amalgamation ofSt. George’s red cross, impressed upon the Scottish flag - St. Andrew’s white cross on a dark bluebackground. Wales had been subdued by England since 1284, hence its absence on the flag.





Many are unaware of the fact that the flag of Spain once flew over Canada. By virtue of theTreaty of Tordesillas (1494), the Spanishclaimed ownership of the west coast fromMexico to Vancouver Island as Spanish

territory. Early Spanish explorers landed in afew places on the west coast of Canada in 1592and again in 1774, without building any settlements. In 1789, Spain asserted itsclaim to the region by establishing a small fort at Friendly Cove at theentrance to Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island, fearful of theRussian intentions to explore the coast south of Alaska, and worried by theincreased trading activity of the British that followed Captain James Cook’shistoric visit to the area in 1778. In 1795, the Spanish withdrew from theNootka Sound area to explore further south.

Following the War of 1812 (June 1812 - February 1815), when the United StatesCongress declared war on Great Britain and attacked Canada, Canadianssuccessfully defended their homeland. This caused a sudden rise of nationalidentity sentiments, uniting its English and French inhabitants. It was not toolong that Canadians began to feel they should have their own national flag.

In 1867, Great Britain’s Parliament passedthe British North America Act, whichformed its North American colonies into a

union called the Dominion of Canada6

. TheConfederation used the Royal Union flaguntil 16 July 1870, when it was replaced bythe Red Ensign (a red flag with the Union Jack in the upper left corner). TheRed Ensign was created in 1707 as the flag of the British Mercantile Marine andwas modified accordingly, by the addition of a shield bearing the quarteredarms7 of Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, to be used asCanada’s land and sea flag (1870-1904).

It is interesting to note that the usage of thisflag on land had never been sanctioned,except by public usage, while on 02February 1892, the British Admiraltyapproved its use at sea, which in turn gaverise to the name Canadian Red Ensign. Each

time a new Province entered the Confederation8, its mark of identification was

6. The Dominion of Canada, consisting of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Québec, wasformed on the 1 July 1867 as a result of the Canada Act.7. On 26 May 1868, a royal warrant granted Coats of Arms to the four provinces and created theGreat Seal of Canada, the four Provincial Coats of Arms quarterly.8. The new Provinces entered the Confederation in the following order: Manitoba: 1870, BritishColumbia: 1871, Prince Edward Island: 1873, Saskatchewan: 1905, Alberta: 1905.





incorporated into the shield. Indeed, this lack of legalised approval wasenough for the Canadian troops who fought in World War I to employ theUnion Jack, instead of the Red Ensign. Even today, the Union Jack maintains itspresence, as an incorporated symbol, in the provincial flags of BritishColumbia, Manitoba and Ontario, while it may be flown - along with the

Canadian flag - on certain institutionalised occasions.

Another flag used in Canada was the Acadianflag, chosen in Miscouche, Prince EdwardIsland, on 15 August 1884, during the 2nd National Acadian Convention, although itsuse was initially considered controversial,for it represented republicanism and anti-clericalism for many Acadians. It wasproposed by Reverend Marcel-FrançoisRichard from Saint-Louis, New Brunswick, president of the 3rd Commissionresponsible for studying the choice of a national flag. Resembling France’stricolore - which had been used both in Québec and Acadia9, reminiscent of their origins -, it was its modification, with the golden star representing10 theStar of the Blessed Virgin of the Assumption, patron of the Acadians. On 15August 1995, it was officially recognised and proclaimed a national flag of Canada by the then Canadian Lieutenant-Governor Jules Léger.

On 26 January 1924, the unofficial version of the Canadian

Red Ensign was changed by an Order in Council, replacingthe composite shield with a shield from the Royal CanadianCoat of Arms11, and was quietly approved for use onCanadian governmental buildings abroad (Canada House inLondon, and the new legations in Washington, Geneva,Paris and Tokyo), but not at home. On 10 November 1943,the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) ordered that “the

Canadian Red Ensign with a shield of the Coat of Arms of Canada in the fly is to be flown in addition to the RCAF Ensign, at all units of the RCAF, serving with forces of

other nations”, while on 22 January 1944, the Canadian Army ordered that “theCanadian Red Ensign with a shield of the Coat of Arms of Canada in the fly is to be flown at all units of the Canadian Army, serving with forces of other nations”.

9. Acadia, the other Francophone community in Canada, comprised of the Canadian MaritimeProvinces Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and parts of the Province of Québecand the US State of Maine. At the conclusion of the French-Indian War (about 1760), Acadianssettled in Louisiana, hence the derivation of the Louisiana French term “Cajun” (from thedialectical pronunciation of “Acadien”).10. Other than the French origin, the red section serves as a reminder of the hardships of the past;the white section denotes spiritual purity and present peace, while the blue section representsharmony with the sea and the sky. Similarly, the star also represents the starfish that guides the

sailor through storms and reefs: in French, the starfish is called étoile de mer (literally, sea star).11. This Royal Coat of Arms, with green maple leaves, was granted to Canada by a Royalproclamation on 21 November 1921, while on 26 April 1922, an Order in Council unofficiallyreplaced the badges on the Blue and Red ensigns.





On V-E Day (Victory in Europe, 8 May 1945),following the victorious return of Canadiantroops from World War II, the Canadian RedEnsign temporarily replaced the Union Flag onthe Peace Tower at Parliament Hill, and

pressure was exercised to proclaim it official.In response to this, Prime Minister King12 issued an Order in Council on 5September 1945, proclaiming: “Until such time as action is taken by Parliament for the format adoption of a national flag … it shall be appropriate to fly the Canadian RedEnsign within and without Canada, whenever place or occasion may make it desirableto fly a distinctive Canadian flag”. Thus, the Canadian Red Ensign returned to theParliament - from which it had been displaced for 43 years.

Yet, even after these modifications, theCanadian Red Ensign was about to changeonce more. The 1921 proclamation specifiedthat the “proper” colour of the maple leavesshould be used (depending on species andseason, maple leaves can be green, yellow or

red). Although the original submission to the College of Arms in London askedfor green maple leaves, there was some discontent from insignificantsegments of the Canadian society over the choice of green as “proper”,stemming from the fact that King George V had officially declared red andwhite13 to be Canada’s colours: some argued that the three maple leaves in the

shield, representing Canada along with the Dominion’s four founding nations(England, Scotland, Ireland and France) should be red, not green.

As time progressed, the influence of thisattitude seemed to grow, and subsequentrenditions14 of the maple leaf tended to bered, rather than green. On 8 October 1957,the Canadian government formallyannounced changes to the design of the

Canadian Red Ensign and the Canadian Coat of Arms, resulting to their finalconfiguration, with red maple leaves, also replacing - at the Queen’s pleasure -the “female” Irish harp with the old Celtic version of it. Moreover, the borderaround the Scottish rampant Lion was, out of error, changed from a doubleone to a single one and, as a result, all subsequent flags reproduced that error.

12. Mackenzie King, an experienced politician, used what appeared to be rather tortured language tomasterly handle the delicate situation. As Fraser (1997) puts it: “What appears to be rather tortured language was actually masterly. It permitted French Canadians to think the Ensign had been rejected as a permanent standard, English Canadians to think it had been accepted, and

others to cling to the hope that a new national emblem was imminent”.13. Red originated from Saint George's Cross, and white from French King Charles VII’s royal emblem.14. Such renditions include the 1940 Canadian Army Battle flag, numerous Royal Canadian Navy andAir Force badges, as well as the Canadian Army flag, officially adopted in 1947.





In search for a flag

Canada had begun as a British and a Frenchcolony, evolved into a Dominion and was onits way to become a sovereign country.

Consequently, a national flag was soughtafter. The search for such a flag began in1925, when a Committee of the Privy

Council began researching possible designs; its work, however, was nevercompleted. The seed for this pursuit was sown by a seemingly minor request tothe Cabinet from the Minister of National Defence, who noted that theCanadian Blue Ensign was authorised15 for use on Canadian government-owned vessels, and the Canadian Red Ensign was authorised for other vesselsregistered in Canada, but “there is throughout the country a desire that there should

also be adopted for use a distinctive flag, which shall be recognised as the flag of theDominion of Canada”. Although the issue was initially considered as purelyinternal (Prime Minister King was absent and probably did not even learn ituntil it leaked), it erupted in the press early in June, resulting to a publiccrisis16. In a desperate attempt to prevent any further developments on theissue, the imperialists sent a letter to the Toronto Press noting that theCommittee was composed entirely of Roman Catholics, which they consideredas “an insult to the sensibility of every loyal Canadian British subject ”.

On 8 November 1945, a joint committee of the Senate and House of Commonswas appointed with a similar mandate, yet the internal dichotomy wasprevalent: English-speaking MPs wanted the Union Jack to be part of the flag,while French-speaking MPs wanted to have it eliminated. The committee hadreceived guidelines on the subject by Secretary of State, Paul Martin, whospecified that the ideal flag of Canada should “be easily recognisable, unlike anyother, discernible at a distance, characteristic in structure and appropriate and symbolic of the country and of its position as a sovereign state in the family of nations”.Although by 9 May 1946 it had received 2.695 submissions and designs, the

15

. On 16 December 1868, the Colonial Secretary notified the Governor General that colonialgovernment ships “shall use the blue ensign with the seal or badge of the Colony in the fly thereof ”. It seems that this reflected the re-organisation of the British Navy, in 1864: the RoyalNavy used the White Ensign, the colonial governments and the Royal Naval Reserve used the BlueEnsign (cf. Australia’s and New Zealand’s flag), while the Red Ensign was used by the MercantileNavy. Similarly, when the Royal Canadian Navy was established (04/05/1909), it was authorised touse, provisionally, the White Ensign as an ensign and the Canadian Blue Ensign as a jack, on 3 March1911, which was confirmed on 16 December 1911. In 1957, the colour of the maple leafs waschanged from green to red, in accordance to the changes in the Canadian Red Ensign.16. Driven by cries of outrage from Toronto branches of the Imperial Order of the Daughters of theEmpire and the Loyal Orange Lodge, the issue entered the Parliament. To prevent a governmentcrisis, Prime Minister King, heading a minority government, attempted to address the questionsraised by North Toronto MP, T. L. Church (whether the Union Flag was Canada’s only official flag),

and then to assure the Parliament that "the government would not for a moment consider adoptinga national flag other than by resolution of this House and the full sanction of the Parliament of Canada”, a commitment binding on all future governments, ultimately leading to the great flagdebate of 1964.





committee eventually recommended “that the national flag of Canada should bethe Canadian Red Ensign with a maple leaf in autumn golden colours in a borderedbackground of white”, violating most of Martin’s criteria.

The committee’s recommendation had beencarried 25 to 1, with 11 absentees. Clearly,the consensus of the committee was not theconsensus of the country, for the people’spreference was evident17, while within thecommittee, a fundamental controversy haddeveloped: Imperialists were adamant about the inclusion of the Union flag,while nationalists from within and without of Québec said No. The QuébecLegislative Assembly had urged the committee “to choose a really Canadian flag,that is to say a flag that excludes any sign of subjection, of colonialism, and which allCanadians, regardless of their origin, may display with pride”. While, rationallyspeaking, this would automatically mean the exclusion of the Royal Union flagas a proposal, for the polarised Committee it only served to harden thedefensiveness of the imperialists.

Prime Minister King, being in an awkward situation - leading a minoritygovernment and not perceiving the issue of the flag as paramount - rejectedthe committee’s report for not being unanimous, even though therecommended flag had been his personal choice, and then allowed the matterto be dropped quietly (just as he had done back in 1925), so the Parliament was

never formally called to vote on a design. But the problem refused to go away…

In Québec, a provincial movement, led byIndependent Member of the LegislativeAssembly, René Chalout, was initiated topersuade the Québec government toinstitutionalise a truly Canadian flag over itslegislative building, displacing the unpopularand largely unused Canadian Red Ensign. Two years later, after having considered a number

of ideas18, on 21 January 1948, at the Legislative Assembly, the provincialgovernment of Maurice Duplessis adopted the fleurdelisé , Québec’s provincialflag19, to replace Québec’s Blue Ensign, which had been in use since 1868.

17. Of the 2.695 designs submitted to the Committee by 9 May 1946, maple leaves featured in 1.611and Union flags in 383, while 231 featured stars, 184 fleurs-de-lis, 116 beavers, 49 crowns and 22crosses. Other designs included First Nations’ symbols or various animals, flowers etc.18. Ironically, one of those ideas involved the incorporation of a red maple leaf, later to be adoptedfor the National Flag of Canada. 19. On 21 January 1948, the new flag was adopted and was flown over the Legislative Assembly

building that very afternoon. Apparently it was the Carillon flag that flew that day - created byElphège Filiatrault, a parish priest in Saint-Jude, Québec -, because the modern fleurdelisé (withthe fleurs-de-lis re-positioned upright to their modern configuration in correspondence with therules of heraldry) was not available until 2 February 1948.





The flag was adopted by a Ministerial decree and the news was presented tothe Legislative Assembly more or less as a fait accompli. Opposition leaderAdélard Godbout expressed his approval, as did René Chalout. Thus, Québecbecame the first province to declare its own flag, providing partial satisfactionwithin the province, but not solving the problem of the nation. So content

were the Québécois with their provincial flag, that when the great flag debateerupted, Liberal politician Pierre Trudeau said: “Québec does not give a tinker’sdamn about the new flag. It’s a matter of complete indifference”.

In need of a flag

A few years after World War II, another war broke out, the Korean War (1950-1953), calling Canadian men and women back into the battlefields. With thecontroversy over the flag having become a national sport, played regularly innewspapers, magazines and the Parliament, many lamentably remarked that“Canadian soldiers are being asked once more to fight abroad and shed their bloodunder a flag which is not theirs”.

The approaching Centennial celebration was only a few years apart, but therewas another issue, not many years before it, that expedited matters:subsequent to the Anglo-Egyptian crisis20 over the Suez Canal in 1956, LesterPearson negotiated an end - which, in the process, was his greatest diplomaticachievement, bringing him the Nobel Peace prize of 1957 -, and proposed thatFrench and English forces be replaced by a United Nations’ peacekeeping

force, offering the Canadians as peace-keepers, only to be rejected by theEgyptians, and for a very egregious reason: in reference to the Canadian RedEnsign, they supported that just by looking at the Union Jack in the Canadianflag, it would be immediately perceived that the Canadians could not beobjective and, at any rate, they could have been mistaken for the British. Thus,the domestic issue was kicked into the forefront of international debate.

On 27 January 1960, Lester B. Pearson, as Liberal leader of the Opposition,issued a press report, urging the Canadian government to find “a solution to the

problem”, acknowledging an inescapable reality

21

: neither the Canadian RedEnsign nor the Union flag was “acceptable to many Canadians as a distinctive flagof Canada”. The government’s refusal to accept the invitation resulted to itbecoming Liberal Party policy in 1961, and part of the federal election platformin 1962 and 1963. During his election campaign, Pearson promised that Canadawould have a flag of its own within two years22, well in time before theCentennial celebrations; he was elected as a Prime Minister on 8 April 1963.Early in May 1964, Prime Minister Pearson informed the House of Commons

20. On 26 July 1956, Egyptian President Nasser nationalised the Anglo-French Suez Canal Company,

resulting in a conflict between France and the United Kingdom (29 October - 6 November).21. In 1958, an extensive poll was taken, according to which over 80% wanted a distinctive nationalflag, 60% wanted it to bear a maple leaf, while only 13% wished it to bear the Union Jack.22. Pearson was the first party leader to put a time limit on finding a national flag for Canada.







and combining the appropriate components to create it, the latter brought tothe attention of the Committee that the Commandant’s flag at the College (amailed fist holding three maple leaves, on a red and white background) wasimpressive. During a particular conversation between the two men, in March1964, looking at the Royal Military College flag flapping furiously from the

Mackenzie Building, Dr. Stanley remarked toMr. Matheson: “There, John, is your flag”.Matheson, interpreting the utteranceliterally, remarked that Canadians wouldnot accept a mailed fist as a national symbol,to which Stanley replied: “No, I mean with ared maple leaf in the place of the College Crest ”.

Dr. Stanley had based his preference towards the design onhistorical grounds as well: a combination of red, white andred appeared on the ribbon of Canada’s first military medal,the General Service Medal (1866-1870), awarded by QueenVictoria, while red and white were proclaimed as Canada’snational colours in 1921, by King George V, following MajorGeneral Sir Eugene Fiset’s recommendation for the Arms of Canada, in 1919, that Canada’s emblem should be the singlered maple leaf on a white field - which was worn by allCanadian Olympic athletes since 1904.

Up until April 1964, when 3.541 entries had been sent, 2.136 included mapleleaves, while 408 included Union Jacks and 359 included the fleur-de-lis.Canadians themselves were deeply divided on the issue: some felt a strongattachment to Britain and, therefore, to its Union Jack; others believed thatthe Union Jack should be removed, because it roused too much controversy,but could not agree on the new symbol25 to represent the country.

On 14 May 1964, Pearson informed the pressof his choice and intention to proceed withthe flag legislation. Quickly, the three-leaf 26 flag with the addition of the vertical blue bars- which were diversely criticised27 - receivedthe mocking epithet Pearson’s Pennant but,nevertheless, the three-leaf design rapidly gained wide popularity and

25. Apart from the maple leaf, there was another symbol associated with Canada: the beaver -historically employed by nobles and statesmen. Since the late 17th century, beavers’ pelts wereused to produce all sorts of hats. Despite this recognition, the beaver was close to extinction by themid-19th century and, as Montréal had ceased to be a major fur entrepôt, its use as a symboldeclined. However, 389 entries did include the beaver on their proposal.26. The three leaves were said to represent the British, the French and the First Nations.27. Other than the fact that Canada’s colours were red and white, not blue, critics also argued thatvertical blue lines do not normally represent water; water is traditionally shown by blue and whitewavy lines, such as in the flag of British Columbia.





acceptance. George Bist, a World War II Veteran, while retaining the blue bars,replaced the three leaves with a single red leaf on a white square, and thusevoked Eugène Fiset’s 1919 suggestion. Immediately, the New DemocraticParty seized the idea as its own, and it became widely promoted by theinstantly formed political group, a Citizen’s Committee for a Single Maple Leaf.

Meanwhile, the Native Sons of Canada28, supporters of another singe-leaf design (see page 22), arranged for miniature copies of their favourite flag to bedelivered to every MP. J. Picard, president of the Toronto branch, distributedabout 5.000 miniatures across the country, hoping that his flag wouldstrengthen Canadian unity rather than draw upon British tradition.Interesting were his views on God Save the Queen: “ Just as long as it belongs toGreat Britain, it can certainly not belong to us. We feel that a nation’s anthem is muchlike a man’s wife. It’s not to be shared with every Tom or Dick in the U.K.”.

In the battle for public opinion, Pearson took hiscampaign into the lions’ den, the RoyalCanadian Legion29. While speaking at the 20th RCL Convention in Winnipeg, on 17 May 1964,Pearson, a veteran himself - having enlisted forservice at the age of 17 during World War I -explained that he meant no disrespect for theRoyal Union Flag or the Canadian Red Ensign,but declared: “I believe most sincerely that it is time

now for Canadians to unfurl a flag that is truly distinctive and truly national incharacter ”, to which the Legionnaires, ironically having recently replaced theUnion Flag of their own badge with a maple leaf, thundered “No! No! ”

On 15 June 1964, Pearson initiated the great flag debate with a moving speech,including extensive historical information, but a very simple message: the flagshould be “exclusively Canadian ... saying proudly to the world and the future: ‘I stand for Canada’ ”. Pearson assured the Parliament that the issue would be resolvedby neither an Order in Council nor a referendum, but by the Parliament itself.The debate carried on for weeks, bringingthe country to a political standstill.Pearson, as well as two vexillologists andheraldry experts, Alan Beddoe (a retirednaval Captain, heraldic advisor to theRoyal Canadian Navy) and ColonelFortescue Duguid (a historian) all seemedto favour the Pearson Pennant.

28. The Native Sons of Canada, a right-wing fraternal society established in Winnipeg in April 1921,

promoted the growth of the spirit of Canadianism across Canada.29. In 1925, and again in 1945-1946, the Orange Lodge had been the main force opposed to losingthe Union flag, thus removing the umbilical cord with the Empire, while in 1964 the Royal CanadianLegion was the most passionate supporter of the status quo of the Canadian Red Ensign.





Despite the fact that most Canadians were pleasedwith the idea of having a distinctive flag, John G.Diefenbaker, former Prime Minister - originallystrongly opposed to the formation of a flagCommittee -, was rigorously opposed to the adoption

of a new flag. Even before the debate had opened, hesaid that “the government-proposed Maple Leaf designbears no relationship with Canada’s past ”, while heopened the opposition side of the debate, denigratingit further with “Surely Canada deserves something better than ... the symbol of three maple leaves”. While speakingto the Parliament, he once said: “This flag will only be passed over my dead body”. On 22 July 1964, during a

telecast of The Nation’s Business, he resorted to vituperative demagogy, alleging

that Pearson’s attempt to establish a flag without the Union Flag was driven byatheism: “Why does the government insist that the Christian crosses, the spiritualelement, be removed from our flag?” Later on, after the flag Committee haddecided upon the flag which was to be proposed to the Parliament, he led abroadside on CBC National, in which he asserted that the chosen flag “ showsnothing of our heritage”. Before the final speech, he uttered that Pearson was“The worst Prime Minister the country had ever had”, while after the vote he toldPearson: “You have done more to divide the country than any other Prime Minister ”.

For 37 days, there was a very intense controversy over the subject, with

Diefenbaker and his party issuing more than 200 speeches30 and resulting tothe complete halt of discussions for other programmes, much more importantfor the people’s daily lives, such as the Canada Pension Plan. While Pearsonwas transcending his time - even though newspapers had speculated that hewas about to commit political suicide -, Diefenbaker became increasinglyisolated31, even within his own party - a prisoner of his heritage.

To resolve the situation, on 10 September1964, Prime Minister Pearson assigned the

issue to a 15-member all-party32

Committee, headed by Liberal MP JohnMatheson, to make the final decision. TheCommittee was given six weeks to re-consider all designs and make a proposal,while its 35 confidential meetings lastedfor weeks, often late at night. Unlike

30. More specifically, the Conservatives made 210 speeches, the Liberals 50, the New DemocraticParty 24, the Social Credit 15 and the Créditistes 9.31. Eventually, some thirty Anglophone Conservatives and ten Québécois members refused tosupport Diefenbaker’s leadership on this issue.32. The all-party Committee consisted of: seven Liberals, five Conservatives, one New Democrat,one Social Crediter, and one Créditiste.





Mackenzie King, Pearson did not interfere with its work. Soon, John Mathesonrealised that if the Committee was ever to produce a good flag, he would haveto choose it himself and then manoeuvre the Committee into supporting it,something which, given Canada’s lengthy and factious flag controversy, was adaunting prospect itself. Yet, a more practical obstacle was raised: the design.

Both the Pearson Pennant and his own design had politically sunk, and, in anycase, he began courting with the elegant simplicity of a single maple leaf onthe flag. He remembered the conversation he had with Lieutenant ColonelGeorge Stanley in Kingston, about the Royal Military College’s flag. But theequal red pales of the flag were too similar to Peru’s flag, while the narrowcentral white pale was inadequate to display a single large maple leaf. So,Matheson broadened the central pale to form a square, rendering somethingsimilar to the Legionnaires’ own badge, which, in turn, appealed to Matheson’ssense of humour and mischief. Having solved the design issue, Mathesonconsulted with Conrad Swan, a heraldist at the College of Arms in London anda native of Vancouver Island, who not only provided the heraldic languageused on the flag proclamation, but also coined a new heraldic term to describeMatheson’s unusually broad central pale: the Canadian Pale.

Another issue to be dealt with was the selection of the maple leaf, the flag’sfundamental ingredient. In Matheson’s own words: “The problem is a simple one.We need a design for the single maple leaf. The red bars are set. We need the proportions and specifications finalised, once the design is settled.” The sugar maple

leaf has 23 points, but a simpler rendition should be used. Mr. Jacques SaintCyr, of the Government Exhibition Commission (ironically, a Québecseparatist), established the stylised maple leaf, initially with 15 points - but hisdesign was rejected. He then re-designed another stylised maple leaf with 13points, much similar to his design for the 1961 Canadian Trade Exhibition inEurope. Although it was initially accepted, two points at the bottom wereremoved on 9 November 1964 and a small curve in the stem was straightened,

for two main reasons: the strikingsimilarity to the 1961 design and a visual

hindrance which Matheson pointed toSaint Cyr: “Do you think maybe it’s too busy at the base? What would happen, for example, if you took away two of the four points?”

Mr. George Best suggested the precise dimensions (two by length and one bywidth) and analogies of white and red, while Dr. Gunter Wyszchi prescribedthe exact shade of red. It seemed that, technically speaking, everything wasset: the next step should be taken, and in absolute stealth: no Opposition MPsshould be aware that a particular flag design was promoted by the Liberals:

should the news broke out, any such flag - regardless of design - would becomea target of incontrollable and ferocious criticism in the blink of an eye. Only





one solution was the viable option, a surreptitious one: Matheson’s flag joinedthe other proposals on the wall, while - unaware of his little scheme - LiberalMP, Grant Deachman, and New Democrat MP, Reid Scott, confronted Mathesonwith the obvious: Pearson’s favourite had no chance of success and, so, theywere prepared to cave in and go along with the Conservatives on an ensign.

Matheson protested that, although a singe-leaf design should be selected - andobviously Pearson’s flag did not qualify -, it was imperative that theCommittee should not choose an ensign, but a flag, displaying both Canada’scolours and emblem, and matching the aesthetic standards of Pearson’s flag.Requesting for a paradigm, Matheson indicated the fruit of his nurturance:almost instantly, agreement was reached. However, the Conservatives shouldcontinue to think that the Liberals would vote for the Pearson Pennant, so thateventually, they would actually vote against it - Matheson’s and Deachman’sgrand design. Nobody should even suspect that a unanimous approval of Matheson’s design was to be the case.

The single-leaf design had many advantages:being neutral, it could help Québec to staycontent within the Confederation. As Matheson(1980) puts it: “The fight for a flag was a fight to saveCanada”. By 1963, the Police was concerned withthe activities of a small but extremely violentterrorist organisation, Front de Libération du

Québec, seeking to establish a socialistindependent state in Québec by force. With agrowing anti-Confederative and an intense anti-British sentiment in Québec, several people wereafraid that the Confederation would somedaycollapse, and that the Francophone Québec couldseparate from the rest Anglophone provinces. What could be better than amaple leaf, which symbolised33 the land that all Canadians loved, a neutralsymbol of unity and inter-cultural co-operation?

The making of the flag

On a Friday afternoon, in late autumn 1964, an urgent request came fromPrime Minister Pearson to the desk of Ken Donovan, an Assistant PurchasingDirector with the Canadian Government Exhibition Commission, which later

33. Ironically, the Maple Leaf flag is perhaps least popular now in Québec, because it has become a

symbol of Canadian federalism and is thus rejected by Québec nationalists, who prefer to fly thefleur-de-lis flag. In January 2001, Québec’s Deputy Premier and Head of the separatist Parti

Québécois, Bernard Landry, refused an $18 million grant to renovate the Québec City zoo, becauseOttawa required the Canadian flag to be flown beside the Québec flag: “Le Québec n’ a pasl’intention de faire le trottoir pour des bouts de chiffons rouges” (Québec does not intend toprostitute itself {walk the streets} for bits of red rags).







a) The Red Ensign with the fleur-de-lis and the Union Jack,b) A design incorporating three red maple leaves between two blueborders (the Pearson Pennant) andc) A red flag with one, stylised35 red maple leaf on a white square.

Since only three finalists were on thetable, a vote was taken for the retentionor rejection of each. Although the votewould be recorded in the minutes, theCommittee would only be informed of thesuccess or failure of each motion. Thethree-leaf design was retained (8 to 6), as

did the one-leaf design (13 to 1), while the flag with the Union Jack and thefleur-de-lis was rejected (9 to 5). For the first time, an exclusively Canadianflag would be selected, but the choice remained between the one-leaf andthree-leaf designs. The Tories assumed that the Grits would vote for thePearson Pennant, but all others would vote against it, so they voted for theone-leaf flag, not on the basis of design, but solely as a way to humiliate theLiberals with a split and inconclusive vote - exactly what government strategyhad expected them to do. The result was a unanimous 14 to 0!

Terrified of what they had done, they castfour votes in opposition to the nextmotion, which asserted that the just-

chosen design represented a suitable flagfor Canada, followed by a motion whichrecommended the continued permissiveuse of the Union Flag “as a symbol of Canada’s membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and her allegiance to the Crown”,which passed by 8 to 1, with 5Conservative abstentions. In the end, their obstinacy had done the country agreat service, for it had bought the necessary extra time to develop the best

possible flag. But having a unanimous choice for a flag in the Committee, asamazing as it was, did not constitute acceptance by the Parliament itself.

The voted flag was consequently recommended to the House of Commons.Oxymoronically, the Conservatives had voted for it, but they persistedopposing it. Canadians began feeling anxious, and their discontent was headedtowards the implacable Conservatives whom so aptly the Montréal Star blamedfor “holding the Parliament to Ransom”. Soon, Conservatives found themselvesentrapped in their tactic, expressing, one after another, their frustration36

35. Apparently, the Committee had a 13-point stylised maple leaf in front of them.36. Nova Scotia MP, George Nowlan said, complaining: “The Liberals have got to use closure, to getus off the hook. We can’t just quit now, our people would never forgive us for it. They’ve got totake the responsibility for forcing us”.





about their leader’s obstinacy, also realising that historical moments wereunfolded in the Parliament, and that any retrocession would have atumultuous impact on them. On 9 December 1964, both Léon Balcer,Diefenbaker’s Québec lieutenant, and the Créditiste, Réal Caouette, invited thegovernment to end the travesty by applying closure. Responding to the

inevitable outcome, with 252 speeches having been delivered, and despite of objections37 on behalf of Diefenbaker, Pearson used the rules of closure to limitspeeches to 20 minutes. Closure was approved by a motion (152 to 85).

When the final vote on the adoption of the new flag took place, on 15December 1964, at 02:00 a.m., it passed at 02:13 a.m. by 163 to 78. The Senateapproved the resolution on 17 December 1964 and, a day later, theConservatives, politically desperate and seeking to preserve their posterity,urged the House of Commons to deal with the continued use of the UnionFlag38. On Christmas Eve, Queen Elizabeth II approved the Maple Leaf flag. On28 January 1965, when both the Prime Minister and the leader of theOpposition were in London, attending the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill, theQueen signed the Royal Proclamation, by which the Maple Leaf flag becamethe flag of Canada on 15 February 1965.

The inauguration of the flag

The official inaugurating ceremony for the Canadian flag was held onParliament Hill in Ottawa, on 15 February 1965. Governor General Georges

Vanier, Prime Minster Lester B. Pearson, the members of the Cabinet andabout thirty thousand of Canadians all attended the majestic ceremony.

When the Canadian Red Ensign was lowered withgreat honour, some cried - including JohnDiefenbaker, who looked down when the Maple Leaf flag was raised. On the stroke of noon, throughoutCanada and at Canadian legations and Canadian shipsthroughout the World, the new Maple Leaf flag was

raised. 26-year-old constable of the Royal CanadianMounted Police, Joseph Secours, hoisted the newMaple Leaf flag atop the Peace Tower, on ParliamentHill in Ottawa; simultaneously, the people gatheredfor the ceremony sang the National Anthem, O’

37. John Diefenbaker said that closure was bad for the parliamentary system, accusing Pearson of“trying to impose his flag on the people”.38. With an enormous majority, 185 to 25, the Royal Union Flag was retained as a symbol ofCanada’s allegiance to the Crown and its membership in the British Commonwealth. The practicalresult of this resolution is that the Union Jack is to be flown alongside Canada’s flag at all federal

buildings, airports and military bases, on special occasions and where physical circumstances allow(a second pole), on Commonwealth Day (8 March), Victoria Day (the Queens’ birthday: the thirdMonday of May) and Statute of Westminster Day (11 December), as well as during Royal visits. Itmay also be flown at the National War Memorial.





Canada, along with a choir of Ottawa children, followed by the Royal Anthem,God Save the Queen, while moments later, a sudden east wind gave the firstbreath of life to Canada’s Maple Leaf flag.

It was on that momentous day that the HonourableMaurice Bourget, Speaker of the Senate, added afurther symbolic meaning to the Canadian flag bythe following words: “The flag is the symbol of thenation’s unity, for it, beyond any doubt, represents allthe citizens of Canada, without distinction of race,language, belief or opinion”. Prime Minister LesterPearson said: “Under this Flag may our youth find newinspiration for loyalty to Canada; for a patriotism basednot on any mean or narrow nationalism, but on the deepand equal pride that all Canadians will feel for every part

of this good land”.

After the adoption of the National Flag of Canada, monarchists and othertraditionalists, cherishing Canada’s British heritage continued to flow theCanadian Red Ensign. However, in the subsequent decades, the Maple Leaf flagwas widely accepted as the National Flag and while the Canadian Red Ensigncan still be seen in some Royal Canadian Legion halls - where it is popular withwar veterans - and is also flown by the descendants of United Empire Loyalists,it has indisputably39 been accepted as the National Flag of Canada.

With the adoption of the Maple Leaf Flagand its widespreaduse, it has become apowerful symbol:proudly worn, proudly

displayed and gloriously waved. So inextricably isthe flag linked to the Canadian identity, to anextent that it would be hard to imagine Canadawithout it - everything that the governingLiberals hoped it would become, when PrimeMinister Pearson first pitched the idea to a notentirely receptive Canadian audience. In 1996,Prime Minister Jean Chrétien declared the 15th of February as National Flag of Canada Day.

39. Apart from the discontent on behalf of the Québécois, who seem to favour La Séparation, inrecent years many far-right and neo-Nazi groups, particularly those affiliated to Paul Fromm, haveattempted to appropriate the Canadian Red Ensign as a symbol of their movement, meant to

emphasise their adherence to traditional Canadian values. Fromm’s groups, as well as other whitesupremacist groups such as the Canadian Heritage Alliance, advocate the re-adoption of the ensignas a Canada’s national flag. Additionally, as of 2007, the Red Ensign (currently the 1868 version) willbe permanently flown alongside the Maple Leaf Flag at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.





Various “adventures” of the flag

While the story of the adoption of the Canadian flag is intriguing itself, someother adventures of the flag are also interesting:

The first adventure of the Canadian flag concerned its colours, red inparticular. Some weeks after the flag’s debut, Gordon Robertson, Clerk of thePrivy Council Office, remarked that on an Easter automobile trip toWashington D.C., “ All along I saw new Canadian flags that were all colours, from pinkthrough orange to rust - but virtually none that were red”. Apparently, the redcolour chosen for the new flag had been specified for the Canadian Red Ensign,in which fading had never been perceived as a problem. The Prime Minister,sharing Mr. Robertson’s concern about the problem, asked the Department of National Defence (DND) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) totake action. As a result of an interdepartmental flag Committee, the colour co-ordinates were specified40 on 30 December 1965.

A relatively obscure issue, which in 2004 re-emerged from the past, with the publicationof a book by James Cook (see bibliography),relates to the design of the stylised mapleleaf on the flag. Apparently, without havingthat knowledge in mind, Jacques St-Cyr’s

stylised 11-point maple leaf (right) is rather similar to the logotype of a

Canadian craft shop, Canada’s four corners (left). Although it could be supportedthat Cook’s story may be inconclusive, the two craft stores, which had beendisplaying the logotype in advertisements, cards and an exhibition sinceSeptember 1963, were in close proximity (44, Bank Street and the ChâteauLaurier) to the place where the flag Committee gathered (180, Sparks Street). The first Maple Leaf flag had its own adventure: after the flag was first flownon 15 February 1965, nobody seemed to know what became of that originalflag. Until a headline in Ottawa Citizen came on 15 February 2000, signed by Ian

MacLeod: “Flag of the Party: How the Liberals confiscated the first maple Leaf flag”.Apparently, Lester Pearson was so proud of his flag that took the flag away andplaced it in the Liberal Party caucus board room, where it was quietly handeddown from one Liberal Leader to the other for 35 years. Even when theConservatives came to power, the Prime Minister was kept in the dark. A fewhours after the article was published, Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, presentedthe flag to the Heritage Minister, Sheila Copps, to be placed in a museum orsome other national institution. (Source: CBC Television).

Another Maple Leaf flag had an adventure of its own, and was found in a

surprising place: the first Maple Leaf flag to fly over the Peace Tower had been

40. See http://www.iscc.org/jubilee2006/abstracts/RobertsonAbstract.pdf.





lost for almost 40 years, until it was found in Waterloo, Belgium, preserved byElisabeth Hoffman Lamoureux, the widow of the then Deputy Speaker of theHouse of Commons and former Ambassador to Belgium, Lucien Lamoureux, towhom the flag was secretly given for safe keeping - despite federal cabinetdirections to be given to the custody of a Museum. According to an article in

Ottawa Citizen on 7 February 2005, titled “40 years lost: First Maple leaf may behome for Canada Day”, despite the meticulous preparations for the flag-raisingceremony, little consideration was given to what would happen afterwards.Madame Lamoureux donated the flag, to be preserved and enshrined in amuseum, to be displayed for the Canadian people (Source: CBC Radio).

Symbolism of the flag

The Colours:

Red and white have long been associatedboth with England and France. Historicalrecords that in the First Crusade (1096-1099),Bohemund I, a Norman lord, had cut redcrosses from his mantles, distributing themto the 12.000 crusaders to wear them as adistinctive badge on their garments. Insubsequent Crusades, each nation wasdistinguished by a cross of a different colour.

Red was the colour of St. George’s Cross, thecolour borne by French Crusaders in 1189,the colour of St. Denis, patron saint of Paris,

and the colour associated with early Kings of England. In the course of history,red and white, white and red, alternated as the national colours of the twocountries. White was popular with monarchs of France, and was the colour of the field of the St. George’s Cross, also being Virgin Mary’s colour. It was thecolour given to the English Crusaders, and the colour of banners borne by Joanof Arc and several early French Regiments. Red and white were used in the

General Service Medal 1866-1877, authorised by Queen Victoria in 1899 forservice in the Fenian Raids and the Red River Expedition. Additionally, theRoyal Military College at Kingston, Ontario, had flown a flag since the turn of the century, consisting of equal pales of red, white and red. In 1921, white andred were officially designated as the colours for Canada in the Proclamation of the Royal Arms of Canada, by King George V.

There is no official symbolisation for the colours used, although many wouldsay that red symbolises the blood of all Canadians that sacrificed themselvesfor their country and to save Europe from the Nazis, and white symbolises the

ice, an element so abundant throughout Canada, or, perhaps, that redsymbolises strength and white symbolises purity.





The Maple leaf:

There are ten41 indigenous species of maple in Canada. Canada has beenassociated with the maple leaf since the early 1700s42. In 1834, LudgerDuvernay proposed the maple leaf as an emblem of Canada, upon thefoundation of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste (24 June 1834). In 1836, LeCanadien, a newspaper published in Lower Canada, proposed it as a suitablesymbol for Canada, while in 1848, the Toronto Literary Annual The Maple Leaf selected it as the chosen emblem for Canada. In 1860 it was used for thedecoration during the visit of the Prince of Wales43 and, subsequently, wasincorporated into the badge of the 100th Regiment (Royal Canadians).

Alexander Muir’s The Maple Leaf Forever (1867) was considered a national songof the Anglophones for many decades, while the Coat of Arms created the next year for Ontario and Québec both included the maple leaf. Beginning with the

II I Olympiad (1904, St. Louis, USA), Canadian athletes used it on theiruniforms, while in 1937, Frank McDonagh of Toronto offered a flag consisted of a superimposed crown on a single autumnal maple leaf on a blue field. DuringWorld War I, it was included in the insignia of almost every battalion andregiment of the Canadian ExpeditionaryForce44, while during World War II it wasalso used on Canadian army and navalequipment. In 1945, the Maple Leaf, a paperpublished in London by Canadian Armed

Forces, suggested that the Battle flag45

should become the National flag of Canada.

An interesting flag proposal, published in theLingue du Drapeau National, the first bilingualpamphlet on the subject, was a flag with a greenmaple leaf, centred on a field diagonally dividedfrom upper hoist to lower fly, red over white. Itssymbolisation was simple and effective: the green

41. Of the 150 known species of maple (genus Acer ), only 13 are native to North America, ten ofwhich grow in Canada: Sugar, Black, Silver, Big-leaf, Red, Mountain, Striped, Douglas, Vine and theManitoba. With the exception of four species, native maples are large trees. At least one of the tenspecies grows naturally in every Province.42. Maple trees were used to produce valuable wood products, maple sugar and were also used as acommercial asset and for natural beautification.43. It was actually the first real Royal visit and indeed the first time that the maple leaf was actuallyadopted, and for a very good reason: When people lined up in the streets of Toronto to see thePrince of Wales on 21 August 1860, those of English origin wore a rose, the Scots wore a thistle, butwhat were the Canadian-born to wear? With the beaver’s use declining, the maple leaf was the onlyoption.44. During that time, Lester Pearson had noted this fact and vowed that he would campaign to put

the maple leaf on the flag. Fifty years later, as Prime Minister of Canada, he succeeded in fulfillinghis oath.45. This flag not only bore three red maple leaves, but also prominently featured both the UnionJack and three fleurs-de-lis.





maple leaf represented Canada, red represented Royal Britain and whiterepresented Royal France. This flag was subsequently fostered by the NativeSons of Canada, becoming a major contender for the national flag until 1964.

It is important to mention here that Prime Minister Lester B.Pearson was seeking to produce a flag which embodiedhistory and tradition, but simultaneously he also wanted toexcise the Union Jack as a reminder of Canada’s heritage andlinks to the United Kingdom. Hence, the issue was notwhether the maple leaf was pre-eminently Canadian, butrather whether the nation should exclude the British-related component from its identity.

The maple leaf today appears on the penny, although, between 1876-1901 itappeared on all Canadian coins46. Since 1921, the Royal Arms of Canada have

included three maple leaves as a distinctive Canadian emblem. In the sameproclamation, the maple leaves on the base of the shield were green: theoriginal blazon’s description wrote “argent three maple leaves slipped vert ” (threegreen maple leaves with stalks on a white background). However, beforepublication, this was changed to “argent three maple leaves conjoined on one stem

proper ”, with the significant change beingthe replacement of vert (green) withproper (natural). “Proper” can of course beread as “any colour occurring naturally”,

which in the case of a maple leaf can bered, green and yellow (depending upon thespecies depicted and the time of the year).The original submission to the College of Arms, London, asked for green mapleleaves; hence this is how the authoritiessubsequently interpreted “proper”.

In 1957, the maple leaves’ colour on the shield of the Royal Arms was changedfrom green to red on a white background, in recognition to Canada’s officialcolours. However, the Canadian Coat of Arms, as well as Ontario’s Provincialflag and Coat of Arms, and Québec’s Coat of Arms, are, botanically speaking,incorrect, because maple leaves always grow two by two on a branch. Yet, thisis not a problem, for such incongruities with reality appear on other flags aswell, for example the flag of Wales, which is, zoologically, equally inaccurate.

The Flag Committee relied on photographs produced by the Dominion ForestService to choose the exact variety which was the most familiar to Canadians:the hard sugar maple tree47 was selected as the desired species, not only

46. The modern one-cent piece has two maple leaves on a common twig, a design that has gonealmost unchanged since 1937.47. Acer saccharum is native to the hardwood forests from Nova Scotia to southern Ontario.





because not it had a handsome leaf, but also because this tree had beenfamiliar to the First Nations, the French Habitants, and the United EmpireLoyalists, for whom it had produced furniture, food, and fuel. Moreimportantly, the leaf was visually familiar to all Canadians. The natural leaf has about 23 points, but the stylised version appearing on the Maple Leaf flag

has only 11. The exact size and the placement of the leaf on the flag werechosen after thorough study and tests under varying wind velocities48 at theNational Research Laboratory Wind Tunnel.

Despite wide acceptance on behalf of Canadians for the use of the maple leaf asa symbol, its official use was only recognised in 1965, with the new NationalFlag of Canada, often called Maple Leaf flag or One-leaved (L’Unifolié ). However,the maple tree was never officially recognised as Canada’s arboreal emblem,until it was officially proclaimed so on 25 April 1996, and published in theCanada Gazette on 15 May 1996.

The Canadian Duality Flag

Since the adoption of the Maple Leaf flag, Canada’s Confederation found itself in peril twice, when two referenda49 tookplace in Québec, regarding whether thepredominantly Francophone provinceshould separate from the rest of Canada.

The people’s verdict was - with amarginal difference50 - a NON . Nevertheless, an intense anti-Confederativesentiment has settled over Québec, just like during the period of the great flagdebate and before it. Canada’s Anglophone population has been identified withthe red colour, to the dismay of the Québécois and other Francophonepopulations, who are mainly represented by blue.

Not only the Québécois, but all Canada’s Francophones feel an intense need tostand out from their Anglophone peers, distinguishing themselves - united in

diversity. Some of them have even adopted provincial flags

51

, so as torepresent the province’s Francophone communities. In response to this, aproposal has been made to renew the national flag of Canada, including some

48. The design was chosen as the best available model of the sugar maple leaf for display upon a flagsurface, under moderate and mean conditions of wind. When fluttering or flapping in a breeze orlight gale, it projects the appearance of a living leaf.49. The first referendum was held on 20 May 1980 and the second on 30 October 1995.50. In 1980, the result was 59,56% to 40,44%, while in 1995 it was a 50,58% to 49,42%.51. Currently there are 11 such flags. Other than Québec’s fleurdelisé (officially recognised on 9March 1950 - the only provincial flag in Québec), there is Acadia’s flag (officially recognised to flyover New Brunswick’s Parliament on 15 August 1995), the Franco-Albertains (1982), the Franco-

Columbiens (1981), Franco-Manitobains (1980), the Franco-Nunavois (for Nunavut, 2002), theFranco-Ontarien (officially recognised on 21 June 2001), the Franco-Ténois (for the NorthwestTerritories, 1992), the Franco-Terreneuviens (for Newfoundland and Labrador, 1986), the Franco-Yukonnais (1985) and the Fransaskois (for Saskatchewan, 2005).








SELECTED SOURCES - BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Books:

Cook, Jack, The Eleven Point Maple Leaf: Canada’s Four Corners Logo (Ottawa, Ontario, 2004). http://www.canadasfourcorners.com/

Fraser, Alistair B., The Flags of Canada (Penn State University, 1997).http://fraser.cc/FlagsCan/index.html.

Matheson, John Ross, Canada’s Flag: A Search for a Country (Boston: G.K.Hall and Company, 1980). http://collections.ic.gc.ca/flag/

Stanley, Dr. George., The Story of Canada’s Flag: A Historic Sketch(Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1965). http://www.stfx.ca/people/lstanley/stanley/flagbook/welcome.htm.

Internet Resources:

A flag for Canada: http://www.flagforcanada.ca/default.aspx.

Canada: A people’s history: http://www.cbc.ca/history/

Canadian Heritage: http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca.

CBC Archives: http://archives.cbc.ca/

Flags of Canada and Provinces:http://www.members.shaw.ca/kcic1/flags.html.

Flags of the World: http://www.fotw.us/

Historica: http://www.histori.ca/

Library and Archives of Canada: http://www.collectionscanada.ca/ Public Work and Government Services Canada: http://www.pwgsc.gc.ca/

The Canadian Encyclopedia: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/

The images of a country:http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/flagdisplay/index.htm.

The Red Ensign: http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/ensign/

Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://www.wikipedia.org/

Documents

Symbols of Canada: Historical flags and the National Flag of Canada