February 15 is National Flag of Canada Day

This Canada Day, our country will be celebrating a milestone birthday: the big One Five Zero. 

Officially known as the sesquicentennial, 2017 marks 150 years since Canada's Confederation.  You can learn more about this upcoming celebration here.

While Canada may be well over 100 years old, did you know that our national flag is much younger? In fact, for the first 98 years of Canada's existence, our national symbol was not the beloved Maple Leaf. It was actually the British Union Jack! 

This changed in the 1960s when Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson called for the creation of a new Canadian flag and invited the public to submit their design ideas. Of the thousands of proposals, Dr. George Stanley's suggestion of a red maple leaf on a white and red background was accepted by Parliament.

On Feburary 15, 1965, the new official flag was hoisted for the first time on Parliament Hill. Every year since 1996, when February 15th was declared National Flag of Canada Day, we celebrate our beautiful flag. You can learn more about our flag here. 

This year marks the 52nd anniversary of our national flag. Canadians are invited to celebrate this important symbol of our identity. 

Take part in the “Share your Moment with the Flag Challenge” by posting a picture or video of you with the flag and inspire others to do the same! #canadianflag