Flag of Canada

Flag of Canada

The National Flag of Canada, popularly known as the Maple Leaf and l'Unifolié (French for "the one-leaved"), is a base red flag with a white square in its centre featuring a stylized, 11-pointed, red maple leaf. Before this flag, Canada used variants of the British Red Ensign with the shield of Canada charged in the fly. The Red Ensign that took familiar shape in Canada was introduced by Prime Minister Mackenzie King after the First World War. From the 1940s until 1965, Canada made several attempts to create its own flag by holding national contests, but the Red Ensign still flew for Canada. A serious debate about a flag change did not occur until 1964, when a committee was picked by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. Out of three choices, the maple leaf design by George F.G. Stanley was chosen as the winner. The current flag was adopted in 1964. The flag made its first appearance on February 15, 1965, which is now celebrated yearly as Flag Day.

Other than the Maple Leaf flag, several other flags have been created to be used by Canadian officials, government bodies and military forces. Most of these flags contain the Maple Leaf motif in some fashion; either by having the Canadian flag charged in the canton or by inclusion of maple leaves in the design.

The Royal Union Flag is also an official flag in Canada, used as a symbol of Canada's membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and of her allegiance to the Crown. The Royal Union Flag forms a component of the flags of several provinces. In Quebec, the provincial flag (a blue cross with four fleur-de-lys) is often considered a national flag along with the Maple Leaf flag, as is the Acadian flag in the Acadian regions of the Maritime provinces.

Design

The Canadian flag flying at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, located at Halifax, Nova Scotia

The current flag of Canada was approved by the House of Commons on December 15, 1964 and by the Senate two days later. The flag was later approved by Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen of Canada, an order which took effect on February 15, 1965.^[3] The national flag is also employed as the naval ensign for Canadian ships and military vessels.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-20