The document summarizes the history of flags used in Canada, beginning with the French royal flag before 1763. It then discusses the use of the British Union Jack from 1763-1801 and as Canada's flag from 1801-1965. The Red Ensign became commonly used from the War of 1812 onward. Prime Minister Pearson introduced a new design called the Pearson Pennant in 1964 to replace the Red Ensign and establish a distinctly Canadian flag, which was adopted on February 15, 1965 as the Maple Leaf flag after opposition from Diefenbaker and indifference in Quebec.

3. About the Canadian Flag
February 15, 1965 – February 15, 2015
The National Flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf
and l'Unifolié (French for "the one-leafed"), is a flag
consisting of a red field with a white square at its centre, in
the middle of which is featured a stylized, 11-pointed, red
maple leaf Adopted in 1965 to replace the Union Flag.

4. Before 1763
Before 1763, Canada had the Royal Coat of
Arms of France, and the pure white flag of
the French kings was used in battle.

5. The Royal Union Flag 1763-1801
After the arrival of the British in the early
1760s, The two-crossed jack or the Royal
Union flag (known more commonly as the
Union Jack) was used in Canada.

6. Royal Union Flag (1801 - 1965)
• 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 from
1867 until 1965.

7. The Red Ensign
By the War of 1812 the Union flag was
supplanted by the Red Ensign. Originally a
flag of the merchant marine, the Red
Ensign became Canada’s Flag by usage
rather than official decree.

8. The Red Ensign (1871-1957)
• The official flag was still the Union Jack
• In 1945, a federal Order-in-Council Red
Ensign on all government buildings, both
at home and abroad
(1871-1921) (1921-1957)

9. The Red Ensign (1957-1965)
In 1957, the approved artistic interpretation
of Canada’s arms changed the maples leave
on the Canadian Red Ensign from green to
red.

10. Canadian Peacekeepers In Egypt
• Canadian peacekeepers were sent to Egypt in
1957 following the Suez canal crisis of 1956.
• Egyptians objected to Canadian troops because
they looked too much like British troops.
• One of the reasons was their Union Jack-daubed
Red Ensign

11. The Pearson Pennant
• Prime Minister Lester Pearson had always
wanted a flag that had no reference to either
Britain or France.
• In June 1964, Pearson introduced his choice for
a new flag design – dubbed the “Pearson
pennant” into Parliament

12. Staunch Opposition
• John Diefenbaker was not a fan. Diefenbaker, the
Tory Opposition leader, fought bitterly against
Lester Pearson's plans to adopt a new flag, even
losing a party member in the process.
• Leon Balcer, a Tory MP from Trois-Rivieres, broke
ranks with Diefenbaker over the flag and left the
party to sit as an Independent.

13. Quebec
Quebec no fan, either. Liberal MP Pierre Trudeau
suggested much of Quebec was apathetic about
the flag. "Quebec does not give a tinker's damn
about the new flag,'' he said. "It's a matter of
complete indifference.''

14. The Three Finalists 1964

15. The Red Maple Flag
On January 28, 1965, a royal proclamation
was signed, and the red Maple Leaf
replaced the Red Ensign on February 15,
1965.