A Symbol to Unit a Nation: The Canadian Flag

Pearson had the support of most of the other parties in Parliament on his new flag design, but in order for his minority government to pass a vote for a new flag for Canada, he would need the support of the Progressive Conservatives and John Diefenbaker. In September of 1964, with the flag debate gaining no ground in Parliament, Pearson agreed to refer the matter to a committee of 15 people, including representatives from all parties and regions, with English and French speakers, and one woman. The committee was tasked with coming up with a new design for a Canadian flag in six weeks. The Canadian public decided to take this as a heartfelt opportunity to give their input on the new flag. Canada had been associated with the maple leaf for a long time and Canadians knew this and were proud of it. 2,409 designs were submitted by the public to the national flag committee. Of those, 1,611 had maple leaves, while there were only 383 designs containing Union Jacks, 184 containing Fleur-De-Lis, 116 designs with beavers, 231 designs with stars, 49 with crowns, and 22 with crosses (Vachon, Matheson). It was overwhelmingly clear that Canadians and the rest of the world associated Canada with the maple leaf; there was even one person from New York who submitted a design containing a maple leaf.