Canada raises the maple leaf flag
On this day · 15 February 1965
At the stroke of noon on Parliament Hill, Canada lowered a British-based ensign and hoisted a flag entirely its own.
On February 15, 1965, thousands gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to witness a national milestone. As the clock struck noon, the Canadian Red Ensign—rooted in British heraldry—was lowered, and Canada’s new red-and-white maple leaf flag was hoisted for the first time. The crowd sang “O Canada,” followed by “God Save the Queen.”
The design, featuring a single stylized 11-point red maple leaf between two red bars, emerged from a fierce parliamentary debate over how to give Canada a distinct emblem. A concept by historian George Stanley, inspired by the Royal Military College’s flag, won out.
After decades of arguing over symbols, a nation finally raised a banner answerable to no other.
The maple leaf quickly became one of the world’s most recognizable flags. Since 1996, February 15 has been marked as National Flag of Canada Day.
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