Canadian Flags for Sale

The Canadian flags for sale on our site have a colorful history. The Canadian government initially flew the Union Jack in the 1600s. When Canada became independent from Britain, the government decided on a new flag called the Canadian Red Ensign. This flag displayed the Union Jack on a red field in the canton and the Canadian shield of arms in the fly. The Red Ensign was flown throughout World War II until Canadians realized the need for a distinctive flag of their own. As a result, proposed flag designs in 1927, 1931, and 1939 were made, but the proposals were all met without success.

In 1945, public sentiment grew more restless concerning the adoption of a national flag. This concern was deepened when the flag, still bearing the Union Jack, made it difficult to identify and distinguish from other nations’ forces during World War II. A meeting was soon held in which the Canadian council looked over 2,695 designs that had been submitted by the public. They ultimately agreed that the Canadian national flag should be the Red Ensign with an autumn gold maple leaf in the fly, surrounded by a white border. This choice, however, was still unsatisfying to many who desired a flag without any foreign symbols on it. Before 1931, the attempt had been to place a Canadian symbol upon a British flag; after 1931 the attempt was to remove a British symbol from a Canadian flag. William Lyon Mackenzie King, the prime minister at the time, was among the unsatisfied parties. He prevented the flag from being adopted by simply ignoring the council’s recommendation. Despite the committee’s failed efforts, public sentiment was still in support of a new flag.

As time passed, debate surrounding the flag began to become more heated. The tension culminated in the great flag debate of 1964, with the greatest opponent to a flag change being Lester B. Pearson, the then prime minister of Canada. He eventually caved and submitted a design of his own after it became apparent that he might lose power and credibility by sticking too strongly to the point. His design was a white field with blue on each edge and a sprig of red maple leaves in the center, based on Canada’s motto “from sea to sea”. Pearson formed a 15 man parliamentary flag committee to decide which flag would be the new Canadian flag. After three months of debate, a flag was finally decided on, but it was not Pearson’s design. Instead, the committee unanimously chose the flag we know today, the Maple Leaf.

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