Canada

Information about the Canadian Flag: Colors and Meaning of the Flag of Canada

The National Flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf, and l’Unifolié (French for “the one-leafed”), consists of three vertical stripes. The right and left stripe are red and of equal size. The center stripe is white and contains single red stylized eleven-point maple leaf centered in the white square. The Canadian National Flag was adopted by the Canadian Parliament on October 22, 1964.

The Canadian flag’s official colors were proclaimed by King George in 1921. The color red comes from the Saint George’s Cross and the color white from the French royal emblem. The maple leaf is an important national symbol of Canada. Paul Martin: ‘The maple leaf is a symbol of duty, valour and pride’. Moreover, the maple leaf had been worn as a symbol of Canada during the visit of the Prince of Wales in 1860. The song “The Maple Leaf Forever” was written by Alexander Muir in 1868 and had become Canada’s national song.