History of Canadian Flag

The St. George's Cross -- an English flag of the 15th century -- was carried by John Cabot, a Venetian sailing under English colours, and flown over Canadian soil when he reached the east coast of Canada in 1497.

The fleur-de-lis was a symbol of French sovereignty in Canada from 1534, when Jacques Cartier landed and claimed the new world for France, until the early 1760s, when Canada was ceded to the United Kingdom. Although a number of French military flags were used in Canada during this period, including the white flag of la Marine royale after 1674, the fleur-de-lis held a position of some prominence.

In the early 1760s, the official British flag was the two-crossed jack or the Royal Union flag (known more commonly as the Union Jack). Although first flown in 1621, the Royal Union flag was used at all British establishments on the North American continent from Newfoundland to the Gulf of Mexico. This flag is often referred to as the flag of Canada's United Empire Loyalists.

Following the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, the diagonal Cross of St. Patrick was incorporated with England's St. George's Cross and Scotland's Cross of St. Andrew. This gave the Royal Union flag its present-day configuration. This flag was used across British North America and in Canada even after Confederation in 1867.

The Red Ensign, a red flag with the Union Jack in the upper corner, was created in 1707 as the flag of the British Merchant Marine. From approximately 1870 to 1904, it was used on land and sea as Canada's flag, with the addition of a shield in the fly bearing the quartered arms of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Although its use on land had never been sanctioned except by public usage, in 1892 the British admiralty approved the use of the Red Ensign for Canadian use at sea. This gave rise to the name the Canadian Red Ensign.

As new provinces entered Confederation, or when they received some mark of identification (sometimes taken from their seal), that mark was incorporated into the shield on the Canadian Red Ensign. By the turn of the century, the shield was made up of the coats of arms of the seven provinces then in Confederation.

In 1924, this unofficial version of the Canadian Red Ensign was changed by an Order in Council and the composite shield was replaced with the shield from the royal arms of Canada, more commonly known as the Canadian Coat of Arms. At the same time, this new version was approved for use on Canadian government buildings abroad. A similar order in 1945 authorized its use on federal buildings within Canada until a new national flag was adopted.

The Canadian Red Ensign was replaced by the red and white maple leaf flag on February 15, 1965.

Introduction

Flags are symbols that identify people belonging to a group. The National Flag of Canada and the flags of the provinces and territories are symbols of honour and pride for all Canadians. They should be treated with respect.

The manner in which flags may be displayed in Canada is not governed by any legislation but by established practice. The etiquette outlined in this brochure is an adaptation of international usage and of customs the federal government has been observing for many years.

The rules applied by the federal government are in no way mandatory for individuals or organizations; they may serve as guidelines for all persons who wish to display the Canadian Flag and other flags in Canada.

Birth of the Canadian flag

The search for a new Canadian flag started in earnest in 1925 when a committee of the Privy Council began to research possible designs for a national flag. However, the work of the committee was never completed.

Later, in 1946, a select parliamentary committee was appointed with a similar mandate, called for submissions and received more than 2,600 designs. Still, the Parliament of Canada was never called upon to formally vote on a design.

Early in 1964, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson informed the House of Commons that the government wished to adopt a distinctive national flag. The 1967 centennial celebration of Confederation was, after all, approaching. As a result, a Senate and House of Commons Committee was formed and submissions were called for once again.

In October 1964, after eliminating various proposals, the committee was left with three possible designs -- a Red Ensign with the fleur-de-lis and the Union Jack, a design incorporating three red maple leaves, and a red flag with a single, stylized red maple leaf on a white square. (Pearson himself preferred a design with three red maple leaves between two blue borders.)

Two heraldry experts, who both favoured a three-leaf design, played a decisive role in the choice of our flag: Alan Beddoe, a retired naval captain and heraldic adviser to the Royal Canadian Navy, and Colonel Fortescue Duguid, a heraldist and historian.

The names of Mr. John Matheson and Dr. George Stanley are well known in the story of the evolution of a new Canadian flag. Mr. Matheson, a Member of Parliament from Ontario, was perhaps one of the strongest supporters of a new flag and played a key advisory role. Dr. Stanley was Dean of Arts at the Royal Military College in Kingston, and brought to the attention of the committee the fact that the Commandant's flag at the College -- an emblem, i.e. a mailed fist, on a red and white ground -- was impressive.

Dr. Stanley's design is based on a strong sense of Canadian history. The combination of red, white and red first appeared in the General Service Medal issued by Queen Victoria. Red and white were subsequently proclaimed Canada's national colours by King George V in 1921. Three years earlier, Major General (later the Honourable) Sir Eugene Fiset had recommended that Canada's emblem be the single red maple leaf on a white field - the device worn by all Canadian Olympic athletes since 1904.

The committee eventually decided to recommend the single-leaf design, which was approved by resolution of the House of Commons on December 15, 1964, followed by the Senate on December 17, 1964, and proclaimed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, to take effect on February 15, 1965.

In due course the final design of the stylized maple leaf was established by Mr. Jacques St-Cyr, the precise dimensions of red and white were suggested by Mr. George Best, and the technical description of precise shade of red defined by Dr. Gunter Wyszchi.

The national flag of Canada, then, came into being, credit to those eminent Canadians: the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson, who wanted a distinctive national flag as a vehicle to promote national unity; John Matheson, who established the conceptual framework for a suitable flag, then sought out and combined the appropriate components to create it; and Dr. George Stanley, who provided the seminal concept - the central concepts of red-white-red stripes with a central maple leaf - in this process.

History

Early in 1964, the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson, informed the House of Commons of the government's desire to adopt a distinctive national flag for Canada. He personally proposed a flag with three red maple leaves between two blue borders. After reviewing the hundreds of designs submitted by experts and other Canadians, the Senate and House of Commons Committee, which had been established by the government to consider the flag proposal, set about classifying the designs.

the Committee, after having eliminated various designs, was left with only three: a Red Ensign with the fleur-de-lis and the Royal Union Flag (Union Jack), the three-leaf design, and a single red maple leaf on a white square on a red flag. The single-leaf design was adopted unanimously by the Committee on October 29, 1964. It was proclaimed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on January 28, 1965, and was inaugurated on February 15, 1965, at an official ceremony held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in the presence of the Governor General, His Excellency General the Right Honourable Georges P. Vanier, the Prime Minister, the members of the Cabinet, and Canadian parliamentarians.

These words, spoken on that momentous day by the Honourable Maurice Bourget, Speaker of the Senate, added deeper meaning to the occasion: "The flag is the symbol of the nation's unity, for it, beyond any doubt, represents all the citizens of Canada without distinction of race, language, belief or opinion."

Glossary

When describing the details of a flag, it is assumed that the flag is flying from a staff with the flag flying towards the right as seen by the observer. (Figure 1)

The canton in the National Flag of Canada is not apparent, but shows very clearly in the Canadian Forces Ensign (Figure 2).

Figure 2 - the Canadian Forces Ensign

Canton

The place of honour in a flag is the upper half of the hoist. It is also called the First Quarter and sometimes the Upper Hoist.

Flagpole or staff

A cylindrical piece of wood or metal to which a flag is attached or from which it is hoisted.

Fly

The half of a flag farthest from the halyard; also a synonym for length.

Finial

The decorative ornament on the top of a pike, staff or pole. May be in the form of a spear point, ball, maple leaf, crown, etc.

Fourth Quarter

The lower half of the fly.

Halyard

The rope which raises or lowers a flag.

Hoist

The half of a flag nearest to the halyard; also a synonym for width.

Pulley

Grooved wheel for the halyard to pass over, which permits the raising and lowering of a flag.

Running eye and toggle

A method of hoisting a flag by means of a rope sewn into its heading, which has a wooden toggle at the top and a loop at the bottom that fasten to their opposites at the end of the halyard.

Second Quarter

The upper half of the fly

Sleeve

A tube of material along the hoist of a flag through which the staff or halyard is inserted.

Third Quarter

The lower half of the hoist; it is also called the Lower Hoist.

Description and Dimensions of the National Flag

Technical description

The National Flag of Canada is a red flag of the proportions two by length and one by width (or 64 units in length and 32 units in width or depth as shown in the accompanying diagram), containing in its centre a white square the width of the flag, with a single red maple leaf centered therein (Figure 3).

Colours

The colours red and white are the same as those that were used in the Canada Red ensign and are found in the Union Jack. Red and white are Canada's official colours and, with the maple leaf, are the symbolic elements found in the Canadian flag.

The printing ink colour is FIP red: General Printing Ink, No. 0-712; Inmont Canada Ltd., No. 4T51577; Monarch Inks, No. 62539/0; or Sinclair and Valentine, No. RL163929/0.

The painting colours are FIP red No. 509-211 and white: 513-201

Heraldic description

The heraldic description is: gules (red) on a Canadian pale argent (white) a maple leaf of the first.

Flagpoles

In the general sense, flagpoles may be divided into three categories: exterior permanent poles (located on buildings or on the adjacent grounds); exterior portable poles; and interior poles.

The exterior poles should be fitted with a hoisting device such as a halyard and pulley arrangement to allow for the flags to be easily changed and half-masted as required.

Flag size and pole length for building poles should correspond to the following dimensions:

Flag	Pole
3 X 6 feet	17 to 20 feet
0.90 X 1.80 metres	5.10 to 6 metres
4 1/2 X 9 feet	30 to 35 feet
1.40 X 2.80 metres	9 to 10.50 metres
6 X 12 feet	40 to 45 feet
1.80 X 3.60 metres	12 to 13.50 metres
7 1/2 X 15 feet	50 feet
2.30 X 4.60 metres	15 metres

On occasion, the simple flagpole is fitted with a yardarm or gaff to increase the number of flags that may be flown from it. This practice is in imitation of a ship's mast and is normally found at naval establishments ashore. Care should be taken to ensure proper flag etiquette is followed when this type of pole is employed.