Canada's maple leaf flag
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(NC)-The maple leaf flag turns 31 this year. Compared
to other national flags, Canada's red and white maple leaf is
still in its adolescence.
While the maple leaf flag may be a relative newcomer to the world
stage, its identification with Canada is inescapable. Whether it's
being raised to the sounds of 0 Canada at the Olympics or
emblazoned on the shoulder of a UN peacekeeper or standing guard
over the graves of Canadian war dead in a Commonwealth cemetery,
the clean bold lines of Canada's national flag speak of the
distinctive, proud country it represents.
The flag that is so familiar to us today was more than a
generation in the making. It was perhaps no surprise that the
maple leaf figured prominently in the new design. The maple leaf
had been associated with this country for hundreds of years, well
before the arrival of Europeans. Red and white have been the
official colours of Canada since 1921, the result of a royal
proclamation by King George V.
As Canada approached its 100th birthday, the search for a new flag
intensified. The exercise captured the imagination of the country.
A special parliamentary committee held 46 sittings. It listened to
hours of testimony from heraldic experts, historians and ordinary
citizens. It was flooded by more than 2,000 proposed designs.
After months of study and investigation, the committee recommended
the flag that is so familiar to us today. Parliament adopted the
new design in mid December 1964 and its proclamation came into
effect two months later.
The maple leaf flag was raised for the first time at noon,
February 15, 1965 during special ceremonies on Parliament Hill in
Ottawa. The Speaker of the Senate, Maurice Bourget, used that
historic occasion to sum up the feelings of many Canadians: "The
flag stands for the unity of the nation," he said. "It speaks for
all the citizens of Canada regardless of their race, language,
creed or opinion."
For many Canadians, those words ring as true today as they did a
generation ago when the maple leaf made its debut over Parliament
Hill - something to think about when we celebrate our flag's
birthday on February 15.