Canadian Flag By: Todd Babiak

In 1956, Lester B. Pearson, then minister of external affairs, helped broker a peace deal between Egypt and a coalition of British, French, and Israeli forces, effectively ending the Suez Crisis. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts and, like all Canadians who are recognized abroad, Pearson instantly became a national hero. In 1963, he became prime minister, leading a minority Liberal government.

Pearson was haunted by Egypt's contention, during the Suez Crisis, that an apparently neutral country—Canada—carried an image of the Union Jack on its flag. The Red Ensign, the "Canadian" flag since 1870, was not only problematic for Canada's international brand, it was also unpopular in Québec.

In 1964, Pearson's government set out to adopt a new, wholly Canadian flag. The prime minister had his favourite design, but so did everyone else. A spirited "Great Flag Debate" ensued. The Conservatives, led by John Diefenbaker, wanted to keep the Red Ensign. Pearson himself preferred a red-on-white three-leaf maple design, with blue bars on the outside, known as the "Pearson Pennant."

An all-party committee was struck, and its members considered over 3,500 possibilities. It came down to a battle between the Pennant, with its suspiciously un-Canadian blue bars, and the design we now know as "the Maple Leaf," created by history professor George Stanley. The committee adopted Stanley's design and after a lengthy filibuster by the pugnacious Diefenbaker and the Conservatives, Pearson invoked closure on the debate and the divided House of Commons voted. The Canadian flag was born on December 15, 1964.

Over the last forty years, Canadian (and even some American) backpackers in Europe have ironed the flag on to their gear in order to seem quiet, polite, apologetic, and humble. In recent years, Canadians have eschewed symbolic understatement. Large Maple Leaf tattoos, T-shirts, umbrellas, and tchotchkes are increasingly common in Canada and wherever Canadians congregate around the world.