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{{About|the national flag of Canada|other Canadian flags|Flags of Canada|a flag of an ethnic group in India|Kannada flag}}
{{Featured article}}
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{{Use Canadian English|date=May 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox flag
| Name = Canada
| Image = Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg
| Nickname = The Canadian Flag
{{hlist|The Maple Leaf|{{lang|fr|l'Unifolié}} (French)}}
| Use = 111110
| Symbol = {{FIAV|111110}} {{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Vertical normal}}
| Proportion = {{ratio|1:2}}
| Adoption = {{start date and age|1965|2|15}}
| Design = A vertical [[Triband (flag)|triband]] of red (hoist-side and fly-side) and white (double width) with one red maple leaf centred on the white band.
| Designer = [[George Stanley|George F. G. Stanley]]
}}

The '''National flag of Canada''',{{efn|{{langx|fr|Drapeau national du Canada}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 11, 2017 |title=National flag of Canada |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/services/culture/canadian-identity-society/anthems-symbols/national-flag.html |publisher=Government of Canada}}</ref>}} popularly referred to as the '''Maple Leaf''',{{efn| '''l'Unifolié''' ({{literal translation|the one-leafed}})}} consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of {{ratio|1:2:1}}, in which is featured one stylized, red, 11-pointed [[maple leaf]] [[Charge (heraldry)|charged]] in the centre.<ref>{{harvnb|Matheson|1980}}, p. 177</ref> It is the first [[flag]] to have been adopted by both houses of [[Parliament of Canada|Parliament]] and officially [[proclamation|proclaimed]] by the [[Monarchy of Canada|Canadian monarch]] as [[Canada|the country]]'s official [[national flag]].<ref name="canada-history"/> The flag has become the predominant and most recognizable [[national symbol of Canada]].

In 1964, [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Lester B. Pearson]] formed a committee to resolve the ongoing issue of the lack of an official Canadian flag, sparking a [[Great Canadian flag debate|debate about a flag change]] to replace the [[Union Flag]]. Out of three choices, the maple leaf design by [[Mount Allison University]] historian [[George Stanley]],<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-stanley-flag/|author=Richard Foot|title=The Stanley Flag|encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia|date=February 13, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170725140437/http://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-stanley-flag/|archive-date=July 25, 2017}}</ref> based on the flag of the [[Royal Military College of Canada]], was selected. The flag officially appeared on February 15, 1965; the date is now celebrated annually as [[National Flag of Canada Day]].

Before 1965, the [[Canadian Red Ensign]] had been in unofficial use since the 1860s and was later officially approved by a 1945 [[Order in Council]] for use "wherever place or occasion may make it desirable to fly a distinctive Canadian flag".<ref name="1945 order">{{cite book|title=Historical documents of Canada|editor=Stacey, C. P.|publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]]|location=[[New York City]]|year=1972|volume=5|page=28|chapter=19. Order in Council on the Red Ensign, 1945|isbn=0-7705-0861-8}}</ref><ref name="first flags">{{cite web|url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/df5-eng.cfm|title=First "Canadian flags"|date=September 24, 2007|publisher=[[Department of Canadian Heritage]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220170258/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/df5-eng.cfm|archive-date=December 20, 2008}}</ref> Also, the [[Union Jack|Royal Union Flag]] remains an official flag in Canada, to symbolize Canada's allegiance to the monarch and membership in the [[Commonwealth of Nations]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/royal-union-flag-union-jack |author=Ken Reynolds|title=Royal Union Flag (Union Jack)|encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia|date= April 21, 1965}}</ref> There is no law dictating how the national flag is to be treated, but there are conventions and protocols to guide how it is to be displayed and its place in the order of precedence of flags, which gives it primacy over the aforementioned and most other flags.

Many different flags created by Canadian officials, government bodies, and military forces contain the maple leaf motif in some fashion, either by having the Canadian flag charged in the canton or by including maple leaves in the design. The Canadian flag also appears on the government's [[Federal Identity Program|wordmark]].

==Origins and design==
{{See also|Maple leaf}}
[[File:Flag of Canada (construction sheet - leaf geometry).svg|thumb|upright=1.2|Construction sheet for the national flag of Canada]]

The flag is horizontally symmetric, so the obverse and reverse sides appear identical. The width of the Maple Leaf flag is twice the height. The white field is a [[Canadian pale]] (a central band occupying half the width of a vertical [[Triband (flag)|triband flag]], rather than a third of the width, named for its use in this flag);<ref>{{cite web|url =https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/vxt-dvc1.html#canadianpale|title = Dictionary of Vexillology|first = Phil|last = Nelson|date  = January 2, 2010|work= Flags Of The World website|at= CANADIAN PALE }}</ref> each bordering red field is exactly half its size<ref name=colours>{{cite web|url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/df11-eng.cfm |publisher=Department of Canadian Heritage |title=The National Flag of Canada: Colours Specification |date=January 1, 2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220170248/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/df11-eng.cfm |archive-date=December 20, 2008 }}</ref> and it bears a stylized red maple leaf at its centre. In heraldic terminology, the flag's [[blazon]] as outlined on the original royal proclamation is "''[[gules]] on a [[Canadian pale]] [[argent]] a maple leaf of the first''".<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1385134851075| publisher=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=Description of the Proclamation by Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second which formalized the National Flag of Canada in 1965| date=December 13, 2013| access-date=February 15, 2015| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215172105/http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1385134851075| archive-date=February 15, 2015}}</ref>{{refn|The flag was later registered with the [[Canadian Heraldic Authority]] on March 15, 2005 as "''[[Gules]] on a Canadian pale [[Argent]] a maple leaf Gules''".<ref name="CHAreg">{{cite web| url=http://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=462| title=Registration of the National Flag of Canada| date=March 15, 2005| work=The Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=May 18, 2010| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160727211226/http://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=462| archive-date=July 27, 2016| df=mdy-all}}</ref>}}

The [[maple leaf]] has been a Canadian emblem since the 19th century.<ref name=Minahan2009>{{cite book|author=James Minahan|title=The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems: Volume 2|year= 2009|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0-313-34500-5|page=17}}</ref> It was first used as a national symbol in 1868 when it appeared on the [[coat of arms]] of both [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]].<ref name=HannaMiddleton2008>{{cite book|author1=Jeanette Hanna|author2=Alan C. Middleton|title=Ikonica: A Field Guide to Canada's Brandscape|url=https://archive.org/details/ikonicafieldguid0000hann|url-access=registration|year=2008|publisher=Douglas & McIntyre|isbn=978-1-55365-275-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/ikonicafieldguid0000hann/page/79 79]–}}</ref> In 1867, [[Alexander Muir]] composed the patriotic song "[[The Maple Leaf Forever]]", which became an unofficial [[anthem]] in English-speaking Canada.<ref name=Irr1998>{{cite book|author=Caren Irr|title=The Suburb of Dissent: Cultural Politics in the United States and Canada During the 1930s|url=https://archive.org/details/suburbofdissentc0000irrc|url-access=registration|year=1998|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=0-8223-2192-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/suburbofdissentc0000irrc/page/69 69]}}</ref> The maple leaf was later added to the [[Canadian coat of arms]] in 1921.<ref name=HannaMiddleton2008 /> From 1876 until 1901, the leaf appeared on all [[Canadian coins]] and remained on the [[Penny (Canadian coin)|penny]] after 1901.<ref name=Cross2011>{{cite book|author=W. K. Cross|title=Canadian Coins: Collector and Maple Leaf Issues|year=2011|publisher=Charlton Press|isbn=978-0-88968-342-6|page=intro}}</ref> The use of the maple leaf by the [[100th (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot]] as a [[regimental symbol]] extended back to 1860.<ref name=Herd2012>{{cite book|author=Tim Herd|title=Maple Sugar: From Sap to Syrup: The History, Lore, and How-To Behind This Sweet Treat|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lxFBT5mLhJkC&pg=PA69|year=2012|publisher=Storey Publishing, LLC|isbn=978-1-61212-211-3|page=69|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704222522/http://books.google.com/books?id=lxFBT5mLhJkC&pg=PA69|archive-date=July 4, 2014}}</ref> During the [[Military history of Canada during World War I|First]] and [[Canada in World War II|Second World Wars]], badges of the Canadian forces were often based on a maple leaf design.<ref name="Granatstein201">{{cite book|author=J. L. Granatstein|title=Canada's Army: Waging War and Keeping the Peace|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z7E-j1UWuOMC&pg=PA39|year=2011|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-1-4426-1178-8|page=39|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704223418/http://books.google.com/books?id=z7E-j1UWuOMC&pg=PA39|archive-date=July 4, 2014}}</ref> The maple leaf would eventually adorn the tombstones of Canadian military graves.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Understanding-the-Cemeteries-and-Monuments.pdf|title=Understanding the Cemeteries and Monuments|publisher=Canadian Military History (Wilfrid Laurier University)|year=2005|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418233747/http://canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Understanding-the-Cemeteries-and-Monuments.pdf|archive-date=April 18, 2014}}</ref>

{{Multiple image|total_width = 270
| direction         = horizontal
| image1            = Arms of Ontario.svg
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = [[Coat of arms of Ontario|Arms of Ontario]]
| image2            = Coat of arms of Québec (1867-1939).svg
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = [[Coat of arms of Quebec|Arms of Quebec]]
| footer            = Maple leaves have been used on the arms of Ontario and Quebec since 1868.
}}
By [[Proclamation|proclaiming]] the Royal Arms of Canada, King [[George V]] in 1921 made red and white the official colours of Canada; the former came from [[Saint George's Cross]] and the latter from the French royal emblem since King [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]].<ref name=birth>{{cite web| url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/df3-eng.cfm| publisher=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=Birth of the Canadian flag| access-date=December 16, 2008| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100224005050/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/df3-eng.cfm| archive-date=February 24, 2010| df=mdy-all}}</ref> These colours became "entrenched" as the [[national colours of Canada]] upon the proclamation of the [[Royal flags of Canada#Sovereign|Queen's personal Canadian flag]] in 1962.<ref>{{cite book| last=Tidridge| first=Nathan| title=Canada's Constitutional Monarchy| editor-last=Thompson| editor-first=Allister| page=222| publisher=Dundurn Press| location=Toronto| year=2011| isbn=9781554889808}}</ref> The [[Department of Canadian Heritage]] has listed the various colour shades for printing [[ink]] that should be used when reproducing the Canadian flag; these include:<ref name=colours />

* FIP red: General Printing Ink, No. 0-712;
* [[Inmont Canada Ltd]]., No. 4T51577;
* [[Monarch Inks]], No. 62539/0
* [[Rieger Inks]], No. 25564
* Sinclair and Valentine, No. RL163929/0.

The number of points on the leaf has no special significance;<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/df7-eng.cfm| publisher=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=You were asking...| access-date=April 13, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430022232/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/df7-eng.cfm|archive-date=April 30, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> the number and arrangement of the points were chosen after wind tunnel tests showed the current design to be the least blurry of the various designs when tested under high-wind conditions.<ref>{{harvnb|Matheson|1980}}</ref>

The image of the maple leaf used on the flag was designed by Jacques Saint-Cyr;<ref name="Archbold, Rick">{{Harvnb|Archbold|2002}}</ref> Jack Cook claims that this stylized eleven-point maple leaf was lifted from a copyrighted design owned by a Canadian craft shop in Ottawa.<ref name="Eleven Point">{{cite web|access-date=March 9, 2012|url=http://www.canadasfourcorners.com/cfc/index.html|title=The Eleven Point Maple Leaf|publisher=Canada's Four Corners|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211115022/http://www.canadasfourcorners.com/cfc/index.html|archive-date=February 11, 2012}}</ref> The colours 0/100/100/0 in the [[CMYK]] process, PMS 032 (flag red 100%), or PMS 485 (used for screens) in the [[Pantone]] colour specifier can be used when reproducing the flag.<ref name=colours /> For the [[Federal Identity Program]], the red tone of the standard flag has an [[RGB]] value of 255–0–0 ([[web hexadecimal]] #FF0000).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/pt-te.nsf/eng/00132.html |title=Government of Canada FIP Signature |publisher=Industry Canada |access-date=August 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728214522/http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/pt-te.nsf/eng/00132.html |archive-date=July 28, 2012 }}</ref> In 1984, the National Flag of Canada Manufacturing Standards Act was passed to unify the manufacturing standards for flags used in both indoor and outdoor conditions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/N-9/ |title=National Flag of Canada Manufacturing Standards Act |date=December 31, 2002 |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=December 3, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220032246/http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/N-9/ |archive-date=December 20, 2016}}</ref>

{{Pantone table|032 C|White}}
The flag of Canada is represented as the [[Unicode]] [[emoji]] sequence {{unichar|1F1E8|REGIONAL INDICATOR SYMBOL LETTER C}}, {{unichar|1F1E6|REGIONAL INDICATOR SYMBOL LETTER A}}.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://emojipedia.org/flag-for-canada/|title=🇨🇦 Flag for Canada Emoji|work=[[Emojipedia]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606084242/http://emojipedia.org/flag-for-canada/|archive-date=June 6, 2017|url-status=live|language=en}}</ref>

==History==
===Early flags===
{{See also|Historical flags of the British Empire and the overseas territories|Canadian Red Ensign|Union Jack}}
[[File:Jacques Cartier rencontre les indiens de Stadacone, 1535.jpg|thumb|Depiction of [[Jacques Cartier]] meeting with [[Iroquoian peoples|Iroquoians]] at [[Stadacona]]. Another member of Cartier's party is holding the [[Flag of France|royal banner of France]].]]

The [[Flag of England|Saint George's Cross]] was carried by [[John Cabot]] when he reached the later-named [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] in 1497. In 1534, [[Jacques Cartier]] planted a cross in [[Gaspé Peninsula|Gaspé]] bearing the French royal coat of arms with the [[fleurs-de-lis]]. The [[Flag of France|Royal Banner of France]] or "Bourbon Flag" held a position of some prominence in [[Canada (New France)|New France]], with the evolving variations of [[List of French flags#Historical flags|French military flags]] being used over time.<ref name="Association1915">{{cite book|author=New York State Historical Association|title=Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association with the Quarterly Journal: 2nd-21st Annual Meeting with a List of New Members|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Eog-AAAAYAAJ|year=1915|publisher=The Association|quote=It is most probable that the Bourbon Flag was used during the greater part of the occupancy of the French in the region extending southwest from the St. Lawrence to the Mississippi, known as New France... The French flag was probably blue at that time with three golden fleur-de-lis .... }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-flag-of-canada|title=Fleur-de-lys &#124; The Canadian Encyclopedia|website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca|quote=At the time of New France (1534 to the 1760s), two flags could be viewed as having national status. The first was the banner of France—a blue square flag bearing three gold fleurs-de-lys. It was flown above fortifications in the early years of the colony. For instance, it was flown above the lodgings of Pierre Du Gua de Monts at Île Sainte-Croix in 1604. There is some evidence that the banner also flew above Samuel de Champlain’s habitation in 1608.... the completely white flag of the French Royal Navy was flown from ships, forts and sometimes at land-claiming ceremonies.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://inquinte.ca/story/canada-150-years-of-history-the-story-behind-the-flag|title=INQUINTE.CA &#124; CANADA 150 Years of History ~ The story behind the flag|website=inquinte.ca|quote=When Canada was settled as part of France and dubbed 'New France,' two flags gained national status. One was the Royal Banner of France. This featured a blue background with three gold fleurs-de-lis. A white flag of the French Royal Navy was also flown from ships and forts and sometimes flown at land-claiming ceremonies.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| author =[[W. Stewart Wallace]] |title=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia|The Encyclopedia of Canada]] |volume=II |location=Toronto |publisher=University Associates of Canada|year=1948|pages=350–351|quote=During the French régime in Canada, there does not appear to have been any French national flag in the modern sense of the term. The 'Banner of France', composed of fleur-de-lys on a blue field, came nearest to being a national flag, since it was carried before the king when he marched to battle, and thus in some sense symbolized the kingdom of France. During the later period of French rule, it would seem that the emblem ... was a flag showing the fleur-de-lys on a white ground.... as seen in Florida. There were, however, 68 flags authorized for various services by Louis XIV in 1661; and a number of these were doubtless used in New France}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gouv.qc.ca/portail/quebec/pgs/commun/portrait/drapeau/?lang=en|title=National Flag and Emblems|date=October 12, 2006|work=Portrait of Québec|publisher=[[Government of Quebec]]|access-date=April 20, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611165104/http://www.gouv.qc.ca/portail/quebec/pgs/commun/portrait/drapeau/?lang=en|archive-date=June 11, 2008}}</ref>

[[File:Flag of the United Empire Loyalists.svg|thumb|The [[United Empire Loyalist]] flag, which is similar to the [[flag of Great Britain]], but in a 1:2 ratio. The flag is still used in [[United Empire Loyalist#List of Loyalist settlements in Canada|loyalist settlements]] within Canada.]]

As the ''[[wikt:de facto|de facto]]'' British national flag, the [[Union Jack#History|Union Flag]] (commonly known as the "Union Jack") was used similarly in Canada from the time of British settlement in [[Nova Scotia]] after 1621.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/flag-canada-etiquette/foreign-flags.html#a1 |title=Foreign flags in Canada |work=Government of Canada |date=May 8, 2018 |access-date=2021-01-15}}</ref><ref name="Union Flag">{{cite web |url=http://fraser.cc/FlagsCan/Nation/Union.html |title=Royal Union Flag |work=The Flags of Canada |access-date=2021-01-15}}</ref> Its use continued after Canada's legislative independence from the United Kingdom in 1931 until the adoption of the current flag in 1965.<ref name="first flags" /><ref name="Canada.ca">{{cite web |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/flag-canada-history.html#a2 |title=Early flags |work=Government of Canada |date=August 28, 2017 |access-date=2021-01-15}}</ref> The [[United Empire Loyalist]] flag, that is very similar to the Union Jack, was used by immigrants who remained [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|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.<ref name="s891">{{cite web | title=The Loyalist Flag | website=UELAC | date=2021-12-06 | url=https://uelac.ca/monuments/loyalist-flag/ | access-date=2024-12-26}}</ref>

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.<ref name="Fraser Flags">{{cite book |last=Fraser |first=Alistair B. |title=The flags of Canada |url=http://fraser.cc/FlagsCan/index.html |access-date=April 20, 2008 |date=January 30, 1998 |chapter=A Canadian Flag for Canada |chapter-url=http://fraser.cc/FlagsCan/Nation/CanFlag.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915061016/http://fraser.cc/FlagsCan/index.html |archive-date=September 15, 2008}}</ref> 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<ref name=CE>{{cite encyclopedia| url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/flag-of-canada/| title=National Flag of Canada| encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia| publisher=Historica Canada| access-date=February 13, 2015| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214012206/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/flag-of-canada/| archive-date=February 14, 2015| df=mdy-all}}</ref> 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.<ref name=CE />

[[File:Postcard of Maisonneuve Monument and Coronation.JPG|thumb|left|A Canadian postcard marking the coronation of King [[George V]] and [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]] in 1911, depicting a [[Canadian Red Ensign]] with a crowned composite shield of Canada in the fly, and the [[Union Flag]] below it]]

The composite shield was replaced with the [[Arms of Canada|coat of arms of Canada]] upon its grant in 1921, and in 1924, an [[Order in Council]] approved its use for Canadian government buildings abroad.<ref name="first flags" /> In 1925, Prime Minister [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]] established a committee to design a flag to be used at home, but it was dissolved before the final report could be delivered. Despite the failure of the committee to solve the issue, public sentiment in the 1920s was in favour of fixing the flag problem for Canada.<ref>{{harvnb|Archbold|2002|p=61}}</ref> New designs were proposed in 1927,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=1261&ProjectElementID=4787| publisher=Office of the Governor General of Canada: Canadian Heraldic Authority| title=Proposed Flag for Canada: Anatole Vanier, 1927| date=March 20, 2008}}</ref> 1931,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=1262&ProjectElementID=6507| publisher=Office of the Governor General of Canada: Canadian Heraldic Authority| title=Proposed Flag for Canada: Gérard Gallienne, 1931| date=March 20, 2008}}</ref> and 1939.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=1263&ProjectElementID=6427| publisher=Office of the Governor General of Canada: Canadian Heraldic Authority| title=Proposed Flag for Canada: Ephrem Côté| date=March 20, 2008}}</ref>

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 (heraldry)|escutcheon]] of the Canadian coat of arms.<ref name=CE /> By May 9 the following year, the committee reported back with a recommendation "that the national flag of Canada should be the Canadian red ensign with a maple leaf in autumn golden colours in a bordered background of white". The [[Legislative Assembly of Quebec]] had urged the committee not to include any of what it deemed as "foreign symbols", including the Union Flag, and Mackenzie King, then still prime minister, declined to act on the report;<ref name=birth /><ref name="Fraser Flags" /><ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 17, 2008|url=http://www.mta.ca/about_canada/study_guide/debates/flag_debate.html|title=The Flag Debate |publisher=[[Mount Allison University]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424150641/http://www.mta.ca/about_canada/study_guide/debates/flag_debate.html <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archive-date=April 24, 2008}}</ref> 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.<ref name="canada-history">{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/flag-canada-history.html|title=The history of the National Flag of Canada|website=www.canada.ca|publisher=Government of Canada|date=4 February 2020|access-date=13 June 2022}}</ref>

===Great Flag Debate===
{{Main|Great Canadian flag debate}}

By the 1960s, the debate for an official Canadian flag intensified and became controversial, culminating in the Great Flag Debate of 1964.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=April 13, 2008|url=http://history.cbc.ca/history/?MIval=EpisContent&series_id=1&episode_id=16&chapter_id=1&page_id=2&lang=E|title=The Great Flag Debate|publisher=[[CBC.ca|CBC]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223234953/http://history.cbc.ca/history/?MIval=EpisContent&series_id=1&episode_id=16&chapter_id=1&page_id=2&lang=E|archive-date=December 23, 2008}}</ref> In 1963, the minority [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] government of [[Lester B. Pearson]] gained power and decided to adopt an official Canadian 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]].<ref name=suez>{{harvnb|Thorner|2003|p=524}}</ref> During the crisis, Pearson was disturbed when the Egyptian government objected to [[Canadian peacekeeping|Canadian peacekeeping forces]] because the Canadian flag (the Red Ensign) contained the same symbol (the Union Flag) also used as a flag by the United Kingdom, one of the belligerents.<ref name=suez /> Pearson's goal was to create a Canadian flag that was distinctive and unmistakably Canadian. The main opponent to changing the flag was the [[Leader of the Opposition (Canada)|leader of the opposition]] and former prime minister, [[John Diefenbaker]], who eventually made the subject a personal crusade.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=March 31, 2008|url=http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/language_culture/topics/80/|title=The Great Canadian Flag Debate|publisher=[[CBC.ca|CBC]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080404225104/http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/language_culture/topics/80/|archive-date=April 4, 2008}}</ref>

[[File:Canada Pearson Pennant 1964.svg|right|thumb|A flag design created by [[Alan Beddoe]], and dubbed the ''Pearson Pennant'', being Prime Minister [[Lester B. Pearson]]'s favoured design]]

In 1961, Leader of the Opposition Lester Pearson asked [[John Ross Matheson]] 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2013/06/30/flag-designer-recalls-how-he-came-up-with-the-maple-leaf-design|title=Flag designer recalls how he came up with the Maple Leaf design|author=Ron Corbett|date=June 30, 2013|newspaper=Toronto Sun|access-date=October 4, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005002250/http://www.torontosun.com/2013/06/30/flag-designer-recalls-how-he-came-up-with-the-maple-leaf-design|archive-date=October 5, 2013}}</ref> On May 27, 1964, Pearson's cabinet introduced a motion to parliament for the adoption of his favourite design, presented to him by artist and heraldic advisor [[Alan Beddoe]],<ref name=CE /> of a "sea to sea" (Canada's motto) flag with blue borders and three conjoined red maple leaves on a white field. This motion led to weeks of acrimonious debate in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] and the design came to be known as the "Pearson Pennant",<ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 13, 2008|url=http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/2007-2/issue3/fe-flags.html|title=Wrong turns on the road of symbolism|publisher=[[The Peak (newspaper)|The Peak]]|date=May 21, 2007|author=Iain Reeve|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225123851/http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/2007-2/issue3/fe-flags.html|archive-date=February 25, 2012}}</ref> derided by the media and viewed as a "concession to Québec".<ref name=CE />
[[File:Flag of Canada (1964).svg|thumb|Flag design created by [[George Stanley]] and selected by the parliamentary committee]]

A new all-party committee was formed in September 1964, comprising seven Liberals, five Conservatives, one [[New Democratic Party of Canada|New Democrat]], one [[Social Credit Party of Canada|Social Crediter]], and one [[Ralliement créditiste|Créditiste]], with [[Herman Maxwell Batten|Herman Batten]] as chairman, while John Matheson acted as Pearson's right-hand man.<ref name=CE /> Among those who gave their opinions to the group was Duguid, expressing the same views as he had in 1945, insisting on a design using three maple leaves; [[Arthur R. M. Lower]], stressing the need for a distinctly Canadian emblem; [[Marcel Trudel]], arguing for symbols of Canada's founding nations, which did not include the maple leaf (a thought shared by Diefenbaker); and [[A. Y. Jackson]], providing his own suggested designs.<ref name=CE /> A steering committee also considered about 2,000 suggestions from the public, in addition to 3,900 others that included, according to [[Library and Archives Canada]], "those that had accumulated in the Department of the Secretary of State and those from a parliamentary flag committee of 1945–1946".<ref name=CE /> Through six weeks of study with political manoeuvring, the committee took a vote on the two finalists: the Pearson Pennant (Beddoe's design) and the current design. Believing the Liberal members would vote for the Prime Minister's preference, the Conservatives voted for the single leaf design. The Liberals, though, all voted for the single leaf design, as did the members from the other two parties, giving a unanimous 15 to 0 vote<ref name=CE /> for the option created by [[George Stanley]] and inspired by the flag of the [[Royal Military College of Canada]] (RMC) in [[Kingston, Ontario]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/ |title=Canadian Heritage Flags |publisher=Canadian Heritage |access-date=October 31, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102014648/http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/ |archive-date=November 2, 2011}}</ref>

[[File:Flag of the Royal Military College of Canada.svg|thumb|left|Flag of the [[Royal Military College of Canada]]]]

There, near the parade square, in March 1964, while viewing the college flag atop the Mackenzie Building, Stanley, then RMC's Dean of Arts, first suggested to Matheson, then Member of Parliament for Leeds, 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,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://people.stfx.ca/lstanley/stanley/flagmemo2.htm|title=George F.G. Stanley's Flag Memorandum to John Matheson, 23 March 1964 (includes Dr. Stanley's original sketches for the Canadian Flag)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309045945/http://people.stfx.ca/lstanley/stanley/flagmemo2.htm|archive-date=March 9, 2014|access-date=March 26, 2008}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book|author=Eva Mackey|year= 2002|title=The House of Difference|location=Toronto|publisher= University of Toronto Press|page=56}}</ref> 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,<ref name=CE /> passed by a majority vote in the House of Commons on December 15, 1964. Just after this, at 2:00 am, Matheson wrote to Stanley: "Your proposed flag has just now been approved by the Commons 163 to 78. Congratulations. I believe it is an excellent flag that will serve Canada well."<ref name=postcard>{{cite web|url=http://people.stfx.ca/lstanley/stanley/postcard.htm|title=Dr. George F.G. Stanley|publisher=St Francis Xavier University|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232416/http://people.stfx.ca/lstanley/stanley/postcard.htm|archive-date=March 3, 2016|access-date=March 10, 2012}}</ref> The [[Senate of Canada|Senate]] added its approval two days later.<ref name=birth />

===Proclamation===
After the resolutions proposing a new national flag for Canada were passed by the two houses of parliament, a proclamation was drawn up for signature by the [[Monarchy of Canada|Queen of Canada]]. This was created in the form of an [[illuminated manuscript|illuminated]] document on [[vellum]], with [[calligraphy]] by Yvonne Diceman and [[Heraldry|heraldic]] illustrations. The text was rendered in black ink, using a [[quill]], while the heraldic elements were painted in [[gouache]] with gilt highlights. The [[Great Seal of Canada]] was embossed and secured by a silk ribbon.<ref name=Proc>{{Cite journal| last=Grace| first=John| year=1990| title=Conserving the Proclamation of the Canadian Flag| journal=The Archivist| editor-last=Library and Archives Canada| editor-link=Library and Archives Canada| publisher=National Archives of Canada| url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/publications/archivist-magazine/015002-2021-e.html| access-date=February 16, 2011| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021133944/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/publications/archivist-magazine/015002-2021-e.html| archive-date=October 21, 2012| df=mdy-all}}</ref>

[[File:Proclamation of the National Flag of Canada (January 1965).jpg|thumb|Royal proclamation of the national flag of Canada]]

This parchment was signed discreetly by the calligrapher but was made official by the signatures of Queen [[Elizabeth II]] (given on January 28, 1965<ref name=birth/>), [[Prime Minister]] [[Lester Pearson]], and [[Attorney General of Canada|Attorney General]] [[Guy Favreau]]. In order to obtain these signatures, the document was flown to the United Kingdom (for the Queen's [[royal sign-manual]]) and to the Caribbean (for the signature of Favreau, who was on vacation). This transport to different climates, combined with the quality of the materials with which the proclamation was created and the subsequent storage and repair methods (including the use of [[Scotch Tape]]), contributed to the deterioration of the document: The gouache was flaking off, leaving gaps in the heraldic designs, most conspicuously on the red maple leaf of the flag design in the centre of the sheet, and the adhesive from the tape had left stains. A desire to have the proclamation as part of a display at the [[Canadian Museum of History|Canadian Museum of Civilization]] marking the flag's 25th anniversary led to its restoration in 1989. The proclamation is today stored in a temperature and humidity-controlled plexiglass case to prevent the vellum from changing dimensionally.<ref name=Proc/>

===Adoption===
[[File:The Parliament of Canada (41122504821).jpg|thumb|upright|The Canadian flag flying atop the [[Peace Tower]]. An official ceremony inaugurating the flag was held on Parliament Hill in 1965.]]

The new national flag was inaugurated on February 15, 1965, at an official ceremony held on [[Parliament Hill]] in Ottawa, in the presence of [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] Major-General [[Georges Vanier]], the Prime Minister, other members of the Cabinet, and Canadian parliamentarians. The Red Ensign was lowered at the stroke of noon, and the new maple leaf flag was raised. The crowd sang "[[O Canada]]" followed by "[[God Save the Queen]]".<ref name=flagfest>{{cite web|url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/df1-eng.cfm|title=The National Flag of Canada; A symbol of Canadian Identity|publisher=[[Department of Canadian Heritage]]|access-date=February 15, 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415070739/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/df1-eng.cfm|archive-date=April 15, 2012}}</ref> 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".<ref name=Flap>{{cite news| url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-s-flag-debate-flaps-on-50-years-later-1.2957192| last=Milewiski| first=Terry| title=Canada's flag debate flaps on, 50 years later| date=February 15, 2015| publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]| access-date=February 15, 2015| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215135050/http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-s-flag-debate-flaps-on-50-years-later-1.2957192| archive-date=February 15, 2015| df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[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."<ref name=flagfest /> Yet there was still opposition to the change, and Stanley's life was even threatened for having "assassinated the flag". Despite this, Stanley attended the flag-raising ceremony.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTMdH9-kmDk&t=3m40s|title=The real story behind the Canadian Flag|work=The National|date=February 16, 2015|via=YouTube|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331191605/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTMdH9-kmDk|archive-date=March 31, 2016}}</ref>

At the time of the 50th anniversary of the flag in 2015, the government—held by the [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative Party]]—was criticized for the lack of an official ceremony dedicated to the date; accusations of partisanship were levelled.<ref name=Flap /> [[Minister of Canadian Heritage]] [[Shelly Glover]] denied the charges, and others, including Liberal Members of Parliament, pointed to community events taking place around the country.<ref name=Flap /> Governor General [[David Johnston (governor general)|David Johnston]] did, though, preside at an official ceremony at [[Confederation Park]] in [[Ottawa]], integrated with [[Winterlude]]. He said, "[t]he National Flag of Canada is so embedded in our national life and so emblematic of our national purpose that we simply cannot imagine our country without it."<ref name=GG>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=15945&lan=eng| publisher=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Governor General to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the National Flag of Canada| date=February 15, 2015| url-status=live| archive-url=https://archive.today/20150216073904/http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=15945&lan=eng| archive-date=February 16, 2015| df=mdy-all}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=15946&lan=eng| publisher=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Message from Her Majesty The Queen on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the National Flag of Canada| date=February 15, 2015| url-status=deviated| archive-url=https://archive.today/20150216073916/http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=15946&lan=eng| archive-date=February 16, 2015| df=mdy-all| access-date=September 9, 2023}}</ref> A commemorative stamp and coin were issued by [[Canada Post]] and the [[Royal Canadian Mint]], respectively.<ref name=GG/>

==Alternative flags==
As a symbol of the nation's membership in the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] and allegiance to [[the Crown]], the [[Union Jack|Royal Union Flag]] is an official Canadian flag and is flown on certain occasions.<ref name="royal union">{{cite web| date=January 1, 2003| url=http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/etiquette/4_e.cfm| publisher=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=The Royal Union Flag| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060506083650/http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/etiquette/4_e.cfm| archive-date=May 6, 2006}}</ref> Regulations require federal installations to fly the Royal Union Flag beside the national flag when physically possible, using a second flagpole, on the following days: [[Commonwealth Day]] (the second Monday in March), [[Victoria Day]] (the same date as the [[King's Official Birthday#Canada|Canadian sovereign's official birthday]]), and the anniversary of the [[Statute of Westminster 1931|Statute of Westminster]] (December 11). The Royal Union Flag can also be flown at the [[National War Memorial (Canada)|National War Memorial]] or at other locations during ceremonies that honour Canadian involvement with forces of other Commonwealth nations during times of war. The national flag always precedes the Royal Union Flag, with the former occupying the place of honour.<ref name="royal union"/>

The Royal Union Flag is also part of the provincial [[flag of Ontario|flags of Ontario]] and [[Flag of Manitoba|Manitoba]], forming the canton of these flags; a stylized version is used on the [[flag of British Columbia]] and the [[flag of Newfoundland and Labrador]].<ref name="royal union" /> Several of the [[Lieutenant governor (Canada)|provincial lieutenant governors]] formerly used a modified union flag as their flags of office. The last to abolish this design was the [[lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia]] in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web  |date=2014-08-06 |title=Symbols of Office |url=https://lt.gov.ns.ca/lieutenant-governor/symbols-office |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia |language=en}}</ref><ref name="royal union" />

The [[Royal flags of Canada#Sovereign|sovereign's flag for Canada]] (banner of arms) is an official flag introduced May 6, 2023, and first flown at Government House, Halifax, that day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Did You Know? |url=https://www.canadiancrown.com/did-you-know.html |website=Canada's Constitutional Monarchy |language=en}}</ref>

The Red Ensign is occasionally still used, including official use at some ceremonies. It was flown at the commemorations of the [[Battle of Vimy Ridge]] in 2007.<ref name="globe red ensign" /><ref name="slams red ensign" /> This decision elicited criticism from those who believed it should not have been given equal status to the Canadian flag and received praise from people who believed that it was important to retain the ties to Canada's past.<ref name="globe red ensign">{{cite news|date=March 31, 2007 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070331.weensign31/BNStory/VimyRidge/home |title=Globe Editorial: Red Ensign |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |access-date=March 2, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109191107/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070331.weensign31/BNStory/VimyRidge/home |archive-date=January 9, 2008 }}</ref><ref name="slams red ensign">{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/dallaire-slams-decision-to-fly-red-ensign/article962783/|title=Dallaire slams decision to fly Red Ensign|last=Peritz|first=Ingrid|work=[[The Globe and Mail]]|date=July 9, 2007|access-date=April 13, 2008}}</ref> The Royal Union Flag and Red Ensign are still flown in Canada by veterans' groups and others who continue to stress the importance of Canada's British heritage and the Commonwealth connection.<ref name="royal union" />

In [[Quebec]], the [[Flag of Quebec|provincial flag]] (a white cross on a field of blue with four [[fleurs-de-lis]]) can be considered a national flag along with the Maple Leaf flag, as is the [[Flag of Acadia|Acadian flag]] in the Acadian regions of the [[Maritime provinces]].<ref name="Archbold, Rick"/><ref>{{cite web|access-date=March 25, 2008|url=http://www.canlii.org/qc/laws/sta/d-12.1/20040901/whole.html|title=Flag and emblems of Québec, An Act respecting the, R.S.Q. D-12.1|publisher=CanLii|date=September 1, 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307073647/http://www.canlii.org/qc/laws/sta/d-12.1/20040901/whole.html|archive-date=March 7, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/why-dont-more-canadians-fly-the-flag/article585211/|title=Why don't more Canadians fly the flag?|work=The Globe and Mail|access-date=July 6, 2012|date=2011|quote=Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams ordered Canadian flags taken down from provincial government buildings to protest against a deal with the federal government on sharing offshore royalties.|first=Dave|last=McGinn|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120706060224/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/why-dont-more-canadians-fly-the-flag/article585211/ |archive-date=July 6, 2012 }}</ref> Public display of Canadian flags is rare in Quebec, with most Quebecers preferring to fly the [[flag of Quebec]] instead.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/pellerin-when-the-quebec-and-canadian-flags-fly-together-at-a-protest-theres-something-strange-in-the-wind|first=Brigitte|last=Pellerin|work=The Ottawa Citizen|location=Ontario|date=February 25, 2022|title=When the Quebec and Canadian flags fly together at a protest, there's something strange in the wind |quote=I’m from Quebec City and I can tell you how rare it is to see a Canadian flag there.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1998/03/14/quebecs-athletes-blame-flag-for-olympic-distress/|quote=Quebeckers have never particularly warmed to the Maple Leaf, which is not widely displayed in the province dominated by French-speakers.|title=QUEBEC'S ATHLETES BLAME FLAG FOR OLYMPIC 'DISTRESS'|date=March 14, 1998|work=South Florida Sun-Sentinel|location=Florida|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717201417/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1998/03/14/quebecs-athletes-blame-flag-for-olympic-distress/ |archive-date=July 17, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ulethbridge.ca/lib/digitized_collections/ourheritage/rant/canada_day_flag21.html|title=Am I the only one ...|access-date=July 17, 2023|quote=In some parts of Quebec you can't fly a Canadian flag, that's okay|location=Canada|publisher=University of Lethbridge |work=Our Heritage|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717204246/https://www.ulethbridge.ca/lib/digitized_collections/ourheritage/rant/canada_day_flag21.html |archive-date=July 17, 2023 }}</ref> Display of the flag is also contentious, with the Quebec provincial government ordering that the Quebec flag be given seniority over the Canadian one in the province,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/flag-canada-etiquette/position-honour.html|quote=Quebec has decreed that on all buildings under its authority within the province of Quebec, whether it be those of government departments, boards, schools or others, as well as on city halls, the provincial flag of Quebec is given precedence over the National Flag of Canada and must occupy the place of honour.|title= Position of honour of the National Flag of Canada|date=August 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912005935/https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/flag-canada-etiquette/position-honour.html |archive-date=September 12, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4259280/montreal-isnt-properly-following-quebecs-flag-protocol-complainants/|title=Montreal isn't properly following Quebec's flag protocol: complainants|work=The Canadian Press|publisher=Global News|location=Canada|date=June 7, 2018}}</ref> and many Quebec government facilities, such as the [[City Hall of Quebec City|Quebec City Hall]], the headquarters of the [[Sûreté du Québec]] and [[Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec|SAAQ]], and the [[Parliament Building (Quebec)|Quebec Parliament]], refusing to fly the Canadian flag at all.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/surete-du-quebec-pride-flag-first-time-headquarters-1.5239811|title=Sûreté du Québec flies pride flag outside their headquarters for first time|work=CBC News|first=Franca G.|last=Mignacca|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810072237/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/surete-du-quebec-pride-flag-first-time-headquarters-1.5239811 |access-date=August 9, 2019|archive-date=August 10, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=DePalma |first=Anthony |author-link=Anthony DePalma (author) |date=November 26, 1997 |title=Quebec Journal; To Some Canadians, the Maple Leaf Is a Red Flag |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/26/world/quebec-journal-to-some-canadians-the-maple-leaf-is-a-red-flag.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527070958/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/26/world/quebec-journal-to-some-canadians-the-maple-leaf-is-a-red-flag.html |archive-date=May 27, 2015 |website=The New York Times |quote=Jean-Paul L'Allier[ has] prohibited the Canadian Maple Leaf from officially flying in front of City Hall since 1990. It was a symbolic retaliation for the defeat, by the rest of Canada, of a constitutional amendment that would have recognized Quebec's special place within the Canadian confederation.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/1701,+rue+Parthenais/@45.5279857,-73.5529544,3a,75y,20.65h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sdIX0urV3SKwGRMYkvjggtw!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x4cc91bbc9af1268f:0xd1eeb361733f369d?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi33r-01ZaAAxWCEVkFHV4WCFEQxB16BAgbEAA | title=1701 Rue Parthenais · 1701 Rue Parthenais, Montréal, QC H2K 4S8, Canada }}</ref>

<gallery widths=200 heights=145>
File:Cartwright cenotaph.jpg|A Canadian Red Ensign, Royal Union Flag, and the flag of Canada flown next to a cenotaph in [[Cartwright, Manitoba]]
File:Royal Standard of Canada.svg|Sovereign's flag for Canada (used by [[Charles III]], [[King of Canada]])
File:Flag of Acadia.svg|[[Flag of Acadia]]
File:Flag of Quebec.svg|[[Flag of Quebec]]
</gallery>

==Protocol==
[[File:NB - Hartland Bridge2.jpg|thumb|left|[[Hartland Covered Bridge]], with the Canadian flag on its tallest flagpole]]

No law dictates the proper use of the Canadian flag. Canadian Heritage has released rules for flying the National Flag of Canada alone and with other flags. The rules deal with the order of precedence in which the Canadian flag is placed, where the flag can be used, how it is used, and what people should do to honour the flag. The suggestions, titled ''National Flag of Canada Etiquette,'' were published by Canadian Heritage online and last updated on February 24, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 February 2022 |title=National Flag of Canada etiquette |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/flag-canada-etiquette.html |website=Canada.ca}}</ref> [[Canadian Forces]] also have a unique protocol for folding the Canadian flag for presentations, such as during a funeral ceremony; CF does not recommend this method for everyday use.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/pub/oth-aut/pcf-cpd/index-eng.asp |title=Process for the Ceremonial Folding of the National Flag of Canada |access-date=September 17, 2009 |date=April 23, 2008 |publisher=Directorate of History and Heritage – National Defence Canada |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118200202/http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/pub/oth-aut/pcf-cpd/index-eng.asp |archive-date=November 18, 2011}}</ref>

The flag can be displayed on any day at buildings operated by the Government of Canada, airports, military bases, diplomatic offices, and citizens during any time of the day. When flying the flag, it should be flown using its pole and should not be inferior to other flags, save for, in descending order, the [[Royal flags of Canada#Sovereign|sovereign's flag for Canada]], the [[Flag of the Governor General of Canada|governor general's flag]], any of the personal flags of members of the [[Monarchy of Canada#Canada's royal family and house|Canadian Royal Family]], or flags of the [[Lieutenant Governor (Canada)|lieutenant governors]].<ref>{{cite web|access-date=March 25, 2008 |url=http://www.saskd.ca/heritage.pdf |title=The Honours, Flags and Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces |publisher=[[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325162006/http://www.saskd.ca/heritage.pdf |archive-date=March 25, 2009 }}</ref> The Canadian flag is [[Half-mast#Canada|flown at half-mast in Canada]] to indicate a period of mourning.

==Promoting the flag==
[[File:Items from the Canadian Parliamentary Flag Program.jpg|thumb|A sample of items from the Parliamentary Flag Program]]

Since the Canadian flag was adopted in 1965, the Canadian government has sponsored programs to promote it. Examples include the Canadian Parliamentary Flag Program of the [[Department of Canadian Heritage]] <!--year range, or "since [year]" for each of these two (and remove the stub sentence I now see further on about 1973)-->and the flag program run by the [[Public Works and Government Services Canada|Department of Public Works]]. These programs increased the exposure of the flag and the concept that it was part of the national identity. To raise awareness of the new flag, the Parliamentary Flag Program was set up in December 1972 by the Cabinet<!--This refers back to the previous mention; so cite the PWGSC first, then this one, and run it into this more detailed bit --> and, beginning in 1973,<ref>{{cite web| date = January 1, 2003| url = http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/actvt/111-eng.cfm| title = Administration of the Parliamentary Flag Program| publisher = [[Department of Canadian Heritage]]| access-date = May 20, 2006| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081220170228/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/actvt/111-eng.cfm| archive-date = December 20, 2008| df = mdy-all}}</ref> allowed members of the House of Commons to distribute flags and lapel pins in the shape of the Canadian flag to their constituents. Full-size flags that have been flown on [[Peace Tower]] and four other locations on [[Parliament Hill]] are packaged by the Department of Public Works and offered to the public free of charge. As of March 2019, the program has a waiting list of over 100 years for both Peace Tower flags, which are {{convert|7.5|by|15|ft|m|order=flip}} in size, and for flags from the other four locations (one on each side of [[Centre Block]] and one each over [[East Block|East]] and [[West Block|West]] Blocks), which are {{convert|4.5|by|9|ft|m|order=flip}}.<ref name="Parliament-Flag-Request">{{cite web|date=March 21, 2019|access-date=March 21, 2019|url=http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/citeparlementaire-parliamentaryprecinct/decouvrez-discover/drapeaux-demander-flags-request-eng.html|title=Request a flag online (new request) - Canada's Parliamentary Precinct|publisher=[[Government of Canada]]}}</ref>

Since 1996, February 15 has been commemorated as [[National Flag of Canada Day]].<ref name=flagfest /> In 1996, Minister of Canadian Heritage [[Sheila Copps]] instituted the One in a Million National Flag Challenge.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/newsroom/index_e.cfm?fuseaction=displayDocument&DocIDCd=6NR032|title=Heritage Minister Sheila Copps Launches "One In A Million National Flag" Campaign|publisher=[[Department of Canadian Heritage]]|date=February 19, 1996|author=Dee, Duncan|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312015242/http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/newsroom/index_e.cfm?fuseaction=displayDocument&DocIDCd=6NR032|archive-date=March 12, 2007}}</ref> Canadian Heritage put the expenses at $15.5&nbsp;million, with approximately a seventh of the cost offset by donations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/newsroom/index_e.cfm?fuseaction=displayDocument&DocIDCd=7NR233|title=Canadians Meet the "One in a Million National Flag" Challenge|publisher=[[Department of Canadian Heritage]]|date=February 15, 1997|author=Arnsby, Julia|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070516122456/http://www.pch.gc.ca/newsroom/index_e.cfm?fuseaction=displayDocument&DocIDCd=7NR233|archive-date=May 16, 2007}}</ref>

In February 2025, in the lead up to the 60th anniversary of the Canadian maple leaf flag, former prime ministers [[Kim Campbell]], [[Jean Chrétien]], [[Joe Clark]], [[Stephen Harper]] and [[Paul Martin]] encouraged Canadians to show national pride and fly the flag "like never before" in the light of [[2025 United States trade war with Canada and Mexico|"threats and insults" to Canadian sovereignty]] by United States President [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Colley |first=Mark |date=2025-02-12 |title=Five Former Prime Ministers Say Canada Is Worth Fighting for in Face of Donald Trump’s ‘Threats and Insults’ Ahead of Flag Day |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/five-former-prime-ministers-say-canada-is-worth-fighting-for-in-face-of-donald-trumps/article_dcb6345c-e960-11ef-a114-6735bac14f39.html |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=Toronto Star |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada|Heraldry}}
* [[List of Canadian flags]]
* [[List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Archbold |first=Rick |year=2002 |title=I Stand for Canada |url=https://archive.org/details/istandforcanadas0000arch |publisher=Macfarlane Walter & Ross |isbn=1-55199-108-X}}
* Levine, Allan. "The Great Flag Debate". ''Canada's History'' 94#6 (2014–15): 32–37.
* {{Cite book |last=Matheson |first=Col. John R. |year=1980 |title=Canada's Flag: A Search for a Country |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lz1mAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Mika Publishing Company |isbn=0-919303-01-3}}
* {{Cite book |last=Stanley |first=George F. G. |year=1965 |title=The Story of Canada's Flag: A Historical Sketch |url=http://people.stfx.ca/lstanley/stanley/welcome2.htm |publisher=Ryerson Press}}
* {{Cite book |last=Thompson |first=Hugh |year=2002 |title=Canada |url=https://archive.org/details/canada00dkpu |publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |isbn=0-7894-9561-9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Thorner |first=Thomas |year=2003 |title=A Country Nourished on Self-Doubt: Documents in Post-Confederation Canadian History |url=https://archive.org/details/countrynourished00thor |publisher=Broadview Press |isbn=1-55111-548-4}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160822190835/http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1444133230724 National Flag of Canada] – Department of Canadian Heritage
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160630004226/http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1444133232507 National Flag of Canada etiquette] – Department of Canadian Heritage
* [https://www.historicacanada.ca/content/heritage-minutes/flags?media_type=41& Flags (Heritage Minutes)] – Historica Canada
* [http://people.stfx.ca/lstanley/stanley/flagmemo2.htm George F.G. Stanley's Flag Memorandum to John Matheson] – St. Francis Xavier University
* [http://people.stfx.ca/lstanley/stanley/postcard.htm John Matheson's postcard to George Stanley] – St. Francis Xavier University
* [http://data2.collectionscanada.gc.ca/ap/c/c135374.jpg Royal Proclamation] – Library and Archives Canada
* {{FOTW|id=ca|title=Canada}}
* [http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/politics/language-culture/the-great-canadian-flag-debate/topic-the-great-canadian-flag-debate.html The Great Canadian Flag Debate] – CBC Digital Archives
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140321234024/http://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/w5-seeking-the-origins-of-the-maple-leaf-flag-finding-the-soul-of-our-nation-1.1738784 "The People's Choice: Seeking the origins of the Maple Leaf flag, finding the soul of our nation"] – ''W5'' (CTV)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150220053822/http://theagenda.tvo.org/episode/210723/the-maple-leaf-forever%3F "The Maple Leaf Forever?"] – ''The Agenda'' (TVO)

{{List of official Canadian national symbols}}{{CanadaFlags}}
{{Flags of North America}}


[[Category:Flags of Canada| ]]
[[Category:1965 establishments in Canada]]
[[Category:Canadian pale flags|Canada]]
[[Category:Flags adopted through competition|Canada]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1965|Canada]]
[[Category:National flags|Canada]]
[[Category:National symbols of Canada]]
[[Category:Red and white flags|Canada]]
[[Category:Horizontally symmetrical flags|Canada]]