The Red Maple Flag

Long before the maple leaf was declared an official symbol by the adoption of the flag, it grew in public consciousness as a national emblem. The maple leaf was prominent in Canadian history as early as the eighteenth century, when the aboriginal peoples discovered the remarkable food properties in maple sap. In 1834, the maple leaf was proposed to the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste. The maple leaf was also the focal point of Alexander Muir’s song, the Maple Leaf Forever, which served as the de facto nation anthem. Although the Red Ensign was flown during both the first and second world war, it was the maple leaf that was used as a distinctive emblem on regimental badges. The flag neither dishonoured nor betrayed the past, but also looked to the future. By choosing not to acknowledge the existence of French and English Canada, the maple leaf flag is able to represent a society much more diverse than that of early Canada.