Did You Know…?

• Every province and territory in Canada has its own flag. The one symbol that represents us at home and abroad is the red and white National Flag of Canada.

• When the Canadian flag flies along with the flags of the 10 provinces and 3 territories, the flags of the provinces and territories follow in the order that they entered Confederation. *

• Red and white were proclaimed Canada's official colours in the proclamation of the Royal Arms of Canada in 1921 by King George V.

• The maple leaf was first proposed as an emblem of Canada in 1834 by Ludger Duvernay when the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste was founded on June 24 of that year.

• George Stanley, a professor at Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario in 1964, suggested a red and white single maple leaf design for the flag because it could be seen clearly from a distance.

• Member of Parliament John Matheson was named Prime Minister's Pearson's “flag lieutenant” and played a critical role in ensuring parliamentary approval of the new Canadian flag.

• The Canadian flag is twice as long as it is wide. The white square and its maple leaf make up half the surface of the flag - equal to the 2 red bars combined.

• Vexillology is the study of flags and is a popular pastime (and for some a career!) around the world.

• Vexillologists often cite the National Flag of Canada as one of the world's most beautiful based on its simple design and limited number of colours.

• In 1982, Laurie Skreslet, a skier from Calgary, took the Canadian flag to the highest point in the world, Mount Everest. Along with the flag, the expedition was outfitted with another 27 tonnes of equipment.

• In 1984, the Canadian flag reached new heights when it blasted into space on the flight mission uniform of Marc Garneau, the first Canadian astronaut in space.

* Ontario (1867), Quebec (1867), Nova Scotia (1867), New Brunswick (1867), Manitoba (1870), British Columbia (1871), Prince Edward Island (1873), Saskatchewan (1905), Alberta (1905), Newfoundland and Labrador (1949), Northwest Territories (1870), Yukon (1898) and Nunavut (1999).