Who Designed the Canadian Flag?
George F.G. Stanley designed the Canadian flag. His design was chosen by a committee and the flag was flown for the first time on February 15, 1965. Let’s look into the design of the Canadian flag, the person who designed the Canadian flag, and the history of flags in Canada.
So, what is the story behind the design of the Canadian flag?
- In 1925, the Canadian government started looking for a new flag.
- A flag selection committee was formed but it never finished its work.
- The search was resumed in 1964 and a new flag committee asked for submissions.
- Some of the submitted designs were three maple leaves, three maple leaves between two blue borders and a combination of the British flag and a fleur-de-lis.
- Dr. George Stanley submitted the winning design for the Canadian flag. He was inspired by the bold look of the flag at the Royal Military College were he worked, which had a single fist in a red and white background.
- John Matheson was the chairman of the committee and some say he and Stanley collaborated.
Whatever the case as to the roles played by Matheson and Stanley, George Stanley was the main contributor to the design on the Canadian flag.
Who Designed the Maple Leaf
The design of the maple leaf on the Canadian flag was designed by Jacques Stain-Cyr. He performed wind tunnel tests on different maple designs to see which was the least blurry in high winds.
So the overall design of the Canadian flag was created by George Stanley, with help from Jacques Stain-Cy, and perhaps some help from John Matheson, and all these people can be said to be people who have designed the Canadian flag.
An interesting fact is the Canadian Olympic athletes have worn an emblem with a red maple leaf on a white background since 1904.
History of Canadian Flags
The first flag of Canada was the fleur-de-lis, which is the flag of medieval France. It consists of three gold fleurs-de-lis on a blue background. It flew over Canada from 1534, when the land was claimed for France by Jacques Cartier, until 1763, when Canada came under British control.
- The flag of the United Kingdom at that time was the Royal Union flag, also called the Union Jack.
- This flag changed after the United Kingdom included England, Ireland, and Scotland. It then incorporated Scotland’s Cross of St. Andrew, Ireland’s Cross of St. Patrick, and England’s St. George’s Cross. That design is still in use today.
- The British Merchant Marine had a flag since 1707 named the Red Ensign, which had the Union Jack in the upper left corner. Later symbols were added to it that represented Nova Scotia, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Quebec, and this flag was flown on both land and sea from 1870 to 1904. Whenever a new province was added to Canada, a symbol was added to the shield. It flew over government buildings in other countries but was never made the official Canadian flag.
The current flag of Canada is called the Maple Leaf. The maple leaf symbolizes the maple industry of Canada, from maple syrup to furniture. The red color was taken from St. George’s Cross, which was an emblem of England, and the white color was taken from the French Royal Emblem.
At the inauguration ceremony, Speaker of the Senate, the Honorable Maurice Bourget 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."
Other Symbols of Canada
Some other Canadian symbols include:
- The national motto of Canada is A Mari Usque Ad Mare, meaning “From Sea to Sea.”
- The national sports are lacrosse in the summer and ice hockey in the winter.
- The national animals are the beaver and the Canadian horse.
- O Canada is the national anthem of Canada. The music was composed by Calixa Lavallée and the words were written by Judge Adolphe-Basile Routhier. The English translation was written by Robert Stanley Weir. O Canada was made the national anthem officially on July 1, 1980.
So, now you know who designed the Canadian flag, and more about the great area of Canada.