Canada has been a country for many years but has always lacked one thing. Up until 1965, we did not have our own official flag. The first thoughts of Canada adopting its own flag started in 1925. A Privacy Council committee looked at the possibilities but their work was never completed. This meant that the Red Ensign and the Union Jack would continue to represent Canada. In 1946 a committee was again formed to determine a national flag.
Over 2,600 designs were submitted but yet again, no flag was picked. In 1964, the Canadian government decided that they wanted a flag chosen before the centennial 1967. A request was issued for designs. More than 2000 ideas poured in. they got many designs that were very different . There were beavers to the north star to fags which combined many other flags. They definitely had variety in the choices. After much thought the committee was able to narrow the field down to three choices.
The three remaining designs included The Red Ensign combined with the Union Jack and the fleur-de-lis, which was the favorite choice of Diefenbaker and the Conservatives. Diefenbaker liked this idea because it was new and reflected our roots and historical past with France and Britain. The second choice was three maple leafs in the middle on white which reflected the English , the French , and all the other cultures that make up Canada, topped off with a blue stripe going down each side representing the oceans.
This flag was the personal preference of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson and was nicknamed The Pearson Pennant. The third and final choice was by far the boldest and most simple of the three designs. The third had a single maple leaf in a white square with red on each side. In 1921 King George V proclaimed Canadas national colours red and white, therefore it would be ideal to incorporate the national colours into the countries flag. After much debate, a Flag was finally chosen. The committee, which chose the flag, had met 46 times.
The two men which get the most credit for creating and choosing a flag for our country were George Stanley and John Matheson. They played key roles in advisory and decision making for the committee. The final decision was made on December 15, 1964, The House of Commons passed the bill which instituted the Maple Leaf.. It was not till February 15, 1965, at noon that the Maple Leaf flew in Ottawa on Parliament Hill for the first time. Canada finally had a flag almost 100 after becoming a country.