Canada’s Maple Leaf flag was inaugurated on 15 February 1965, replacing Red Ensign variants. A stylised red eleven‑point maple leaf is centred on white, flanked by vertical red bars (1:2 proportion with a 1:2:1 vertical scheme). Red and white have been Canada’s official colours since 1921. The leaf symbolises unity and the land; the simple geometry ensures high visibility. Federal protocol governs display, half‑masting, folding, and dignified retirement; the design is unchanged since adoption and is a core national emblem at home and abroad.
Before 1965, Canada flew British‑derived ensigns with Canadian arms. A mid‑twentieth‑century search for a distinctive emblem culminated in a multi‑party parliamentary process in 1964. Historian George Stanley’s concept—one maple leaf between two red bars—was selected for clarity, neutrality, and recognisability.
Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed the new flag on 28 January 1965, and it was first raised on Parliament Hill on 15 February—now National Flag of Canada Day. The design’s symbolism is succinct: a stylised single maple leaf, long associated with Canada’s landscape and identity, framed by two red bars that stabilise the composition and improve distance legibility.
Red and white were declared Canada’s national colours in 1921. The official proportion is 1:2, with precise construction for the leaf silhouette and bar widths (a vertical 1:2:1 scheme). There is no official meaning to the leaf’s eleven points; they are a graphic solution optimised for reproduction.
Federal etiquette mandates respectful display, precedence rules when flown with provincial or foreign flags, half‑masting protocols, and dignified retirement for unserviceable flags. The civil flag is identical to state usage; additional flags—like the Governor General’s—have distinct devices.
The Maple Leaf quickly displaced previous ensigns as Canada’s primary symbol at international events, military service, and diplomacy. It asserts a plural, bilingual, independent identity while acknowledging the country’s constitutional evolution.
Manufacture follows colour references and exact construction sheets to ensure consistency. Government guidance details indoor and outdoor usage, illumination at night, and order of march for parades.
Through decades of use, the flag has proven an accessible and unifying emblem across Canada’s regions, cultures, and languages. Its simplicity and symbolic economy contribute to broad recognition worldwide.