Early flags meeting with
Iroquoians at
Stadacona. Another member of Cartier's party is holding the
royal banner of France. The
Saint George's Cross was carried by
John Cabot when he reached the later-named
Newfoundland in 1497. In 1534,
Jacques Cartier planted a cross in
Gaspé bearing the French royal coat of arms with the
fleurs-de-lis. The
Royal Banner of France or "Bourbon Flag" held a position of some prominence in
New France, with the evolving variations of
French military flags being used over time. flag, which is similar to the
flag of Great Britain, but in a 1:2 ratio. The flag is still used in
loyalist settlements within Canada. As the
de facto British national flag, the
Union Flag (commonly known as the "Union Jack") was used similarly in Canada from the time of British settlement in
Nova Scotia after 1621. Its use continued after Canada's legislative independence from the United Kingdom in 1931 until the adoption of the current flag in 1965. The
United Empire Loyalist flag, that is very similar to the Union Jack, was used by immigrants who remained
loyal to the British crown during the American Revolutionary War. In present-day Canada, the United Empire Loyalist flag continues to be used as symbol of pride and heritage for loyalist townships and organizations. Shortly after
Canadian Confederation in 1867, the need for distinctive Canadian flags emerged. The first Canadian flag was then used as the
flag of the governor general of Canada, a Union Flag with a shield in the centre bearing the quartered arms of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, surrounded by a wreath of maple leaves. In 1870, the
Red Ensign, with the addition of the Canadian composite shield in the fly, began to be used unofficially on land and sea and was known as the
Canadian Red Ensign. As new provinces joined the Confederation, their arms were added to the shield. In 1892, the British admiralty approved the use of the Red Ensign for Canadian use at sea. New designs were proposed in 1927, 1931, and 1939. By the
Second World War, the Red Ensign was viewed as Canada's
de facto national flag. A joint committee of the Senate and House of Commons was appointed on November 8, 1945, to recommend a national flag to officially adopt. It received 2,409 designs from the public and was addressed by the director of the Historical Section of the Canadian Army,
Archer Fortescue Duguid, who pointed out that red and white were Canada's official colours and there was already an emblem representing the country: three joined maple leaves seen on the
escutcheon of the Canadian coat of arms. fearing it may lead to political instability. As a result, the Union Flag was kept as a national flag, and the order to fly the Canadian Red Ensign at government buildings was maintained.
Great Flag Debate , as used up to the Great Flag Debate By the 1960s, the debate for an official Canadian flag intensified and became controversial, culminating in the Great Flag Debate of 1964. In 1963, the minority
Liberal government of
Lester B. Pearson gained power and decided to adopt a flag through parliamentary debate. The principal political proponent of the change was Pearson. He had been a significant broker during the
Suez Crisis of 1956, for which he was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize. During the crisis, Pearson was disturbed when the Egyptian government objected to
Canadian peacekeeping forces because the Canadian flag (the Red Ensign) contained the same symbol (the Union Flag) also used by the United Kingdom, one of the belligerents. , and dubbed the
Pearson Pennant, being Prime Minister
Lester B. Pearson's favoured design In 1961, when Leader of the Opposition, Pearson asked
John Ross Matheson, a fellow Liberal MP, to begin researching what it would take for Canada to have a new flag. By April 1963, Pearson was prime minister in a minority government and risked losing power over the issue. He formed a 15-member multi-party parliamentary committee in 1963 to select a new design, despite opposition leader Diefenbaker's demands for a referendum on the issue. On May 27, 1964, Pearson's cabinet introduced a motion to parliament for the adoption of his favourite design, presented to him by
Alan Beddoe, an artist and heraldic advisor, derided by the media and viewed as a "concession to Quebec". There, near the parade square, in March 1964, while viewing the college flag atop the Mackenzie Building, Stanley, RMC's Dean of Arts, first suggested to Matheson that the RMC flag should form the basis of the national flag. The suggestion was followed by Stanley's memorandum of March 23, 1964, on the history of Canada's emblems, in which he warned that any new flag "must avoid the use of national or racial symbols that are of a divisive nature" and that it would be "clearly inadvisable" to create a flag that carried the Union Flag or a fleur-de-lis. According to Matheson, Pearson's "paramount and desperate objective" in introducing the new flag was keeping Quebec in Canada. It was Stanley's idea that the new flag should be red and white and that it should feature the single maple leaf; his memorandum included the first sketch of what would become the flag of Canada. Stanley and Matheson collaborated on a design that was, after six months of debate and 308 speeches, The
Senate added its approval two days later. This parchment was signed discreetly by the calligrapher but was made official by the signatures of Queen
Elizabeth II (given on January 28, 1965 Of the flag, Vanier said "[it] will symbolize to each of us—and to the world—the unity of purpose and high resolve to which destiny beckons us".
Maurice Bourget, Speaker of the Senate, said: "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." At the time of the 50th anniversary of the flag in 2015, the government—held by the
Conservative Party—was criticized for the lack of an official ceremony dedicated to the date; accusations of partisanship were levelled. Queen Elizabeth II stated: "On this, the 50th anniversary of the National Flag of Canada, I am pleased to join with all Canadians in the celebration of this unique and cherished symbol of our country and identity." A commemorative stamp and coin were issued by
Canada Post and the
Royal Canadian Mint, respectively. ==Alternative flags==