Since Confederation, the Canadian national flag had been the British Union Jack - a symbol of Canada's former colonial status. The Red Ensign - a modified version of the flag of the British ...

Before 1964, Canada used the Canadian Red Ensign, which featured the Union Jack. The need for a unique flag grew, especially after the Second World War, but consensus was hard to achieve.

Canadian flags are flying off the shelves of ... Parliament was initially divided on the design, with some pushing to keep the Union Jack, but the maple leaf won. A cross-border protest against ...