According to Dailyhive posted on Nov 20 2023,

there is the real reason for placing a single red maple leaf on the Canadian flag

The maple leaf on the Canadian flag is a symbol of Canadian identity and pride. It was popular before being incorporated into the flag and was seen on coins, books, badges, banners, and other items. During the First World War, the maple leaf started to grace the caps worn by those in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and that’s when it became a mainstream symbol of Canada and its people’s pride, courage, and loyalty. Maple leaves appeared on trial designs for years before the final flag was chosen. In 1964, a parliamentary committee was set up and dedicated to picking a flag for a centurial ceremony. They went through thousands of design entries and shortlisted the flags. A design has a single red maple leaf in the middle reated by Calgary-born historian George Stanley won the committee’s hearts and votes. The National Film Board of Canada recorded the moment the flag debuted on February 15, 1965, at Parliament Hill in an official inauguration ceremony.

While maple syrup is delicious, and we love how the leaves turn red in the fall, Canadian soldiers and their sacrifices in the two world wars inspired the flag design.

You can dive into the article in the description.

https://dailyhive.com/canada/canadian-flag-maple-leaf

Today I will talk about the Canadian national flag. The article shows the maple-leaf motif is rooted in the First World War, it started to grace the caps worn by those in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Since I was expecting the reason why Canada uses Maple leaves on their flag is its abundance of maple syrup which occupies 85 percent of the world's total production. However, surprisingly, not only because of this, they also used it to designate a rallying point for troops in battle. That's why this maple leaf is a symbol of honour and pride for all Canadians. That makes sense it turned into something they should be treated with respect. Such a deep background behind it.

By the way, for me as Dauber, it looks really difficult to draw a maple nicely but looks fun! Therefore, I looked up instructions for kids to draw it up and let me tell you how.

First of all, remember that the leaf has a total of 11 points and three sections, with two points falling outside of the three main sections. Since the leaf is symmetrical, firstly fold your paper in half. 

Draw half of the maple leaf. Using your pencil, sketch half of the maple leaf. This will include one half-section (1.5 points), one full section (3 points), one point, and half of the stem. 

Secondly, flip your folded paper over, then, draw the rest of the leaf. What made me curious is that the website I found recommends using windows as a light source to trace this with your pencil. https://www.wikihow.com/Draw-the-Canadian-Flag

Finally, colour your leaf based on the light outline and fill the maple leaf with red. Now it is done! 

I actually gave it a shot but still looks like I need some extra practice to look nice enough.

Does it sound easy to you? Let me know how it works!