Maple Leaf First Official Appearance

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, it is the first ever specified by statute law for use as the country's national flag. The Canadian Red Ensign had been unofficially used since the 1890s and was approved by a 1945 Order in Council for use "wherever place or occasion may make it desirable to fly a distinctive Canadian flag". There is no law dictating how the flag is to be treated. However, conventions and protocols do guide how the flag is to be displayed and its place in the order of precedence of flags in Canada.
 
In 1964, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson formed a committee to resolve the issue, sparking a serious debate about a flag change. Out of three choices, the maple leaf design by George Stanley, based on the flag of the Royal Military College of Canada, was selected. 

The flag made its first official appearance on February 15, 1965; the date is now celebrated annually as National Flag of Canada Day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Canada
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