National Flag of Canada Day

A day for the flag

Canada sets aside 15 February as National Flag of Canada Day, a date also called Flag Day for short. It is a day for the red and white maple leaf banner rather than a day off work, since it holds no statutory holiday status. Federal buildings raise the flag, and some communities hold public ceremonies. Schools sometimes give lessons on how the flag came about and what it stands for. The federal heritage department keeps a page about the date, and there is even a song written for the flag in 1965. Because the day is not a holiday, marking it stays quiet and mostly voluntary, though from time to time people suggest making it one.

Choosing a new flag

In 1964 the Parliament of Canada decided to replace the Canadian Red Ensign, a banner that had been used in one form or another since 1868. The country asked the public for designs, and close to 4,000 people sent one in. On 22 October 1964 a design by George Stanley, a historian at the Royal Military College of Canada, was chosen, and the vote was unanimous. Lester Pearson was prime minister at the time and led the push for the new flag. The House of Commons approved the recommendation on 15 December 1964, and the Senate agreed two days later. The change was argued over hotly.

Proclamation and date

Queen Elizabeth II, in her role as Queen of Canada, proclaimed the new flag on 28 January 1965. The proclamation also named the day it would come into force: 15 February 1965. That is the date Canadians now mark each year. Raising the maple leaf for the first time closed a long argument about what the country's national symbol should be. The old ensign had carried the Union Jack in one corner, while the new design kept only red, white and a single leaf. Flag Day takes its date straight from that coming into force, which is why it sits in the middle of February rather than in the summer.

The observance begins

The observance itself was created in 1996, when Governor General Roméo LeBlanc signed an order in council after a proposal from Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. The first ceremony was held in Hull, Quebec. Chrétien ran into demonstrators there who opposed planned cuts to unemployment insurance, and as he walked through the crowd he pushed one of them aside by the neck. The date was already a familiar one in Canada, thirty-one years after the flag came into force, and the new observance gave it a formal name in both English and French: National Flag of Canada Day, or Jour du drapeau national du Canada.

Later anniversaries

In 2010, the flag's 45th year, federal ceremonies took place in Ottawa, Winnipeg and St. John's, and also in Whistler and Vancouver alongside the Winter Olympics. In 2011 Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave two citizens, whose work honoured the military, flags that had earlier flown at the Peace Tower, presenting them as the beginning of an annual award for patriotism. In 2025, shortly before the flag's 60th anniversary, five living former prime ministers signed an open letter asking people across the country to put out the flag as a mark of unity while Canada was in a trade dispute with the United States and Mexico.

How National Flag of Canada Day is kept

Canadians take part by raising the maple leaf flag, at home, at work and on federal buildings. Some towns and cities hold public ceremonies, and schools may run lessons or programmes about the flag and its history. The federal government marks the date with events and a heritage web page, and anniversaries have brought larger ceremonies, as in 2010 and at the Peace Tower presentation in 2011. Anyone can join in simply by displaying the flag. No formal ritual surrounds the day, and nothing closes for it.

When and where

The date is fixed at 15 February and does not move, unlike holidays tied to Easter. It marks the moment in 1965 when the new flag came into force. Falling on a set day, it can land on any day of the week.

The observance belongs to Canada and is kept across the country. Federal ceremonies have been held in Ottawa, Winnipeg, St. John's, Whistler and Vancouver, and the first one took place in Hull, Quebec. Its strongest presence is in federal buildings and schools, since the day has no statutory holiday status.

What National Flag of Canada Day means

For those who keep it, the maple leaf flag stands for the country as a whole, and raising it is a way of saying so out loud. The day remembers a choice Canada made about its own symbols, swapping a banner that carried the Union Jack for a design of red, white and a single leaf. Some treat the date as a chance to speak about unity, as the five former prime ministers did in 2025, while others see it mainly as a moment of civic pride.

Questions people ask about National Flag of Canada Day

See also

Arbor DayAn annual secular observance dedicated to planting and caring for trees around the worldBeating RetreatA military ceremony of music and drill held at sunset to mark the end of a day or a festival.Bastille DayFrance's national day marking the storming of the Bastille and the unity of the people on 14 July.Canada DayA national holiday on July 1 that marks the 1867 union of Canadian colonies into a single dominion.

Good reading and sources

• 5 former prime ministers say fly the maple leaf on Saturday to stand up to TrumpCBC, Article
• 5 former prime ministers say fly the maple leaf on Saturday to stand up to TrumpCBC, Article

• National Flag of Canada Day on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.