February 15 is National Flag Day, an opportunity to celebrate our flag and our proud history as Canadians. Parliament approved the Maple Leaf on December 15, 1964. It was proclaimed as our National Flag by Queen Elizabeth II on January 28, 1965 and raised for the first time across Canada and overseas on February 15.

Canadians have flown a variety of flags throughout our history. Explorers carried the flags of England and France when they charted our waters for the first time in the late 1400s and the early 1500s. On the west coast, the flags of Imperial Russia and Spain were flown, as well as the white ensign of the Royal Navy, in the 1700s and 1800s.

The royal banner of the King of France flew over present-day Canadian territory from 1534 until 1760. Since then, the Royal Union Flag (also known as the “Union Jack”), which was originally the royal banner of Great Britain, has flown in Canada as a symbol of the British heritage in every province; in 1965 it was also adopted by Parliament as the Royal Union Flag of Canada.

The fleur-de-lys has become a symbol of Quebec and of francophones across Canada. The Hudson’s Bay Company flew a Red Ensign from its forts and offices – a scarlet merchant flag bearing a Union Jack in the upper left-hand corner that developed a unique association with Canada.

All of these flags are fascinating emblems of the pageant of our history.

In the 1860s Sir John A. Macdonald, our first Prime Minister, developed a Red Ensign flag that would be distinctive of Canada. It carried a shield bearing the arms of the first four provinces. As time passed, more arms were added to represent new provinces – until 1921, when, on the instructions of Prime Minister Arthur Meighen, the shield bearing nine provincial arms was replaced by the new shield of arms of Canada.

Thus, variations of the Canadian Red Ensign have represented this country at home and abroad, together with the Royal Union flag, since 1870. In particular, the Canadian Red Ensign was carried, as was the Union Jack, by the Canadian Corps in the First World War and, in the victorious climax of the Second World War in 1944-45, as the Canadian Army Battle Flag. It was carried by Canadian peacekeepers from Korea in 1950 to Cyprus in 1964.

Today the Red Ensign flies at the Memorial to the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France, where Canadians fought alongside British Empire and French forces. It flies on the instructions of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to honour our fallen and as a reminder of our glorious achievements on the field of battle.

February 15 is an occasion, then, to celebrate our National Flag and to recall that Canadians have many symbols and flags of which we can be proud.

I am pleased to report that posters featuring a selection of historical flags of Canada have been produced by our government in partnership with the Canadian Heraldic Authority and are available from the Department of Canadian Heritage. The pictures accompanying this article illustrate some of the flags featured on these beautiful posters which I hope will go on to decorate classrooms, citizenship centres, offices, and homes.