Canada
Authority: Royal Proclamation, 28 January 1965
The National Flag of Canada has an official 1:2 hoist-to-fly ratio: a red-white-red triband with an 11-point red maple leaf centered on the white square. Parliament approved the design on 15 December 1964, Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed it on 28 January 1965, and it was first raised on 15 February 1965.
| Parameter / Specification | Standard Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Hoist to Fly Ratio | 1 : 2 | - |
| First Officially Raised | 15 February 1965 | - |
| Maple Leaf Points | 11 | - |
History & Origin
Canada's maple leaf flag was the product of the "Great Canadian Flag Debate," a contentious parliamentary fight over replacing the Canadian Red Ensign, which still carried the Union Jack in its canton. Historian George Stanley, then Dean of Arts at the Royal Military College, proposed the underlying concept -- a single stylized maple leaf on a red-white-red field -- and graphic artist Jacques Saint-Cyr produced the specific 11-point leaf design used on the finished flag.
The design passed the House of Commons on 15 December 1964 by a vote of 163 to 78, with the Senate concurring two days later. Queen Elizabeth II signed the royal proclamation on 28 January 1965, and the new flag was raised for the first time in an official ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on 15 February 1965, the moment the Red Ensign came down at the stroke of noon. The 11-point leaf shape was chosen in part because wind-tunnel testing showed it stayed the most legible and least blurred of the candidate designs under strong wind.