Canadian Flag Education Centre

Please listen in to the conversation of Mr Harper and Bruce Wylie on teh radio this morning, Valentines Day, Feb 14th, 2025

Details on the day's celebrations, Feb 15th 2025 below

60 Anniversary Canada’s Flag Day
Saturday, February 15th 2025
Celebrations at Halls Apple Market at their Cider Room, 10 am to 4pm 

Many may remember the 50th Anniversary from 10 years ago. This was held outside at the base of the monument that recognizes John Ross Matheson and Brockville’s significance in the creation of our country’s flag. This monument is 160 feet tall and fly’s the largest flag on the 401-corridor measuring 35 feet by 70 feet. Reflecting on that event, it was a very cold day indeed. This year, we will be inside and just down the road at Halls Apple Market at 2930 2nd Concession Road, Brockville, ON.

John Ross Matheson, felt the flag brought Unity to Canada. With all the disagreements on the political spectrum these days and the unbelievable questioning of our country's own sovereignty, uniting behind Canada's Flag is a must for our nation, our community and the humble, proud hearts of every citizen. 

This year our  local event has been sponsored by  Halls Apple Market,  Tim Ross of  Brock Shores Financial ,  Natures Energy Water Corporation and Bob & Sue Harper of the Canadian Flag Education Centre. 

The open house begins at 10am and ends at 4pm.  Halls will be serving samples of their Hard Cider along with their sweet hot cider  through out the day in the Cider Room. There will also be tastings through out the day of  #KiKiKicks Sparkling  Maple Sap beverages, a local non alcoholic natural functional beverage.

At 1pm, Tim Ross as MC will start off the formal elements of the celebrations. 

O’Canada 

Welcoming remarks from Robert Harper, Executive Director of the Canadian Flag Education Centre. (CFEC)

Greetings from a few of our local dignitaries.  Will start with our 3 local mayors.

Mattew Wren, from the City of Brockville

Brant Burrows,  from Elizabethtown-Kitley Township

Jeff Shaver,  from Augusta Township

There is some others in the community that wish to  bring greetings, we will announce them as their confirmations evolve.

Steve Clark will close the formal greetings.  Steve is one of the original advocates who along with the late Gord Brown worked diligently with the Canadian Flag Education Centre over a decade ago to bring recognition to Brockville, John Ross Matheson and the many loving hands that contributed to our country’s flag. 

Thank you from Tim Ross, MC 

Once the greetings are done there is a celebratory cake baked by Halls Apple Market to be enjoyed by all.

Enjoy fellowship with those that have attended, enjoy the tasting of these local beverages and you are welcome to make purchases of them and other items from Halls’s retail areas.
Thank You 

https://canadianflageducationcentre.ca/2025/01/13/a-tribute-to-the-most-enduring-creation-our-maple-leaf-flag-and-the-canadians-who-are-the-many-loving-hands/

A Tribute to the most enduring creation,
our Maple Leaf Flag and the Canadians
who are “The many loving hands”. 

The National Flag of Canada is 60 years old, let us remember the many loving hands who worked so diligently to bring the most recognized and respected symbol of Canada to fruition.

The year was 19 hundred and 65, what a wonderful time to be alive. Our Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson made good on his promise to have a unifying, truly Canadian Flag by the time we were to celebrate our Centennial in 1967.

This was a monumental task which was attempted back in 1925 and again in 1946 only to become a political hot potato and abandoned by the governments of the day.

Mr. Pearson brokered the Suez Peace accord in 1956 and was awarded the Noble Peace Prize. During his work he offered up our Canadian Peace Keepers only to have this offer rejected because Canadian Soldiers worn a British Red Ensign on the uniforms and could be mistaken for British Soldiers.

Mr. Pearson was so disappointed that he made himself a promise to do whatever he could to have a National Flag of Canada brought into being.

People such as Heraldry enthusiast Edward M. Chadwick in 1895 had suggested Canada have its very own Flag and should have a Maple Leaf on it. Then there was Major-General (later) Sir Eugene Fiset who in 1919, while writing to his boss Thomas Mulvey about the changes needed for the Armorial Bearing of Canada, sited “a single red maple leaf on a white field with 2 red bourders, if it were to be a flag.

Lester B. Pearson was elected as the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada in 1958, and one of the party platform items was to bring a National Flag of Canada to fruition when the Liberal Party formed Government.

Meanwhile in May of 1961, John Ross Matheson was elected in a by-election as the Liberal MP for Leeds (now Leeds & Grenville). Mr Matheson was a lawyer practising Law in Brockville Ontario since 1948, he was also known as an extremely knowledgeable Heraldry enthusiast along with his best friend George M. Beley ( 2 of the founders of the Heraldry Society of Canada).

This event prompted Mr. Pearson to assign Mr. Matheson the task to begin researching what it would take to bring Canada it’s very own symbol . The execution of this research would become the tireless dedication of (the man who was most responsible) for bringing the National Flag of Canada to fruition in 1965.

Mr. Pearson became the Prime Minister of Canada in 1963. Now Mr. Matheson’s work became more important in its process. In the following year the Pearson Government had officially proclaimed the need to have a truly unifying National Flag of Canada and government formed a parliamentary “Flag Committee” to complete this task. The committee was made up of 12 members of Parliament from all official parties. This committee was given 6 weeks to achieve consensus (September 10-October 22)

Many people provided suggestions of exactly what a Canadian flag should be. One of the people Mr. Matheson requested advice from was Dr. George Stanley from RMC. Dr. Stanley suggested the flag be a single red maple leaf on a white field with 2 red borders, this suggestion would become the basis of what became the National Flag of Canada. It must be noted there were 2465 suggestions made during the flag committee deliberations.

Mr. Matheson commonly known as (Father of our Flag) would always refer to all of the people who helped to bring our flag into being as the (many loving hands) who participated in so many ways, from the initial ideas, concepts, research and advice to the actual team who were responsible for the final design and creation of the most recognized symbol of Canada around the entire world.  On November 9th 1964 this team was comprised of Patrick Reid Manager of Graphic Design for Expositions Canada who brought along his very best creative/graphic designer Jacques St. Cyr (who created/designed the stylized 11 point Maple Leaf).  George Bist an advertising executive from Toronto who had provided the details for the actual proportions of our flag ( 2:1 provides a very unique visual balance, our flag is 2 times as long as it is in height, the white centre pale is exactly 2 times the size of the red borders. The red and white colours of our Flag represent the (unofficially proclaimed) National Colours of Canada, by King George V in 1921. The colour of red was established by Dr. Gunter Wyzsecki and his team from the National Research Council of Canada and was the first time in history that a scientific colour was created for a National Symbol.

The political wrangling which took place from 1961 through 1964/65 was a testament to this emotionally driven debate in which our Parliamentarians often found themselves in conflict with their own knowledge and the ability to explain the identity of Canada.

 In the end the “flag committee” got the job done, their conclusion was sent to Parliament on October 29th 1964 and the debate was absolutely vicious. Through some very difficult and ingenious communications the minority Government was able to get passed the turmoil with a vote on December 15th 1964 at 2:13 am of 163 to 78. The Senate of Canada passed into law on December 17th 1964. Queen Elizabeth the Second proclaimed the National Flag of Canada on January 28th 1965. Our new Canadian Flag was first raised on February 15th 1965.

Please take some time to remember all of the hard working people who make it possible for Canadians to live, work and play in the best country in the entire world. We have a symbol which is one of the most respected and recognized around the globe, let us all celebrate February 15th 2025 as the 60th birthday of the National Flag of Canada and “fly the Maple leaf” with pride and honour.

 Respectfully,
 Robert J. Harper
 Executive Director
 Canadian Flag Education Centre

https://canadianflageducationc...

The National Flag of Canada is 60 years old, let us remember the many loving hands who worked so diligently to bring the most recognized and respected symbol of Canada to fruition.

The year was 19 hundred and 65, what a wonderful time to be alive. Our Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson made good on his promise to have a unifying, truly Canadian Flag by the time we were to celebrate our Centennial in 1967.

This was a monumental task which was attempted back in 1925 and again in 1946 only to become a political hot potato and abandoned by the governments of the day.

Mr. Pearson brokered the Suez Peace accord in 1956 and was awarded the Noble Peace Prize. During his work he offered up our Canadian Peace Keepers only to have this offer rejected because Canadian Soldiers worn a British Red Ensign on the uniforms and could be mistaken for British Soldiers.

Mr. Pearson was so disappointed that he made himself a promise to do whatever he could to have a National Flag of Canada brought into being.

People such as Heraldry enthusiast Edward M. Chadwick in 1895 had suggested Canada have its very own Flag and should have a Maple Leaf on it. Then there was Major-General (later) Sir Eugene Fiset who in 1919, while writing to his boss Thomas Mulvey about the changes needed for the Armorial Bearing of Canada, sited “a single red maple leaf on a white field with 2 red bourders, if it were to be a flag.

Lester B. Pearson was elected as the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada in 1958, and one of the party platform items was to bring a National Flag of Canada to fruition when the Liberal Party formed Government.

Meanwhile in May of 1961, John Ross Matheson was elected in a by-election as the Liberal MP for Leeds (now Leeds & Grenville). Mr Matheson was a lawyer practising Law in Brockville Ontario since 1948, he was also known as an extremely knowledgeable Heraldry enthusiast along with his best friend George M. Beley ( 2 of the founders of the Heraldry Society of Canada).

This event prompted Mr. Pearson to assign Mr. Matheson the task to begin researching what it would take to bring Canada it’s very own symbol . The execution of this research would become the tireless dedication of (the man who was most responsible) for bringing the National Flag of Canada to fruition in 1965.

Mr. Pearson became the Prime Minister of Canada in 1963. Now Mr. Matheson’s work became more important in its process. In the following year the Pearson Government had officially proclaimed the need to have a truly unifying National Flag of Canada and government formed a parliamentary “Flag Committee” to complete this task. The committee was made up of 12 members of Parliament from all official parties. This committee was given 6 weeks to achieve consensus (September 10-October 22)

Many people provided suggestions of exactly what a Canadian flag should be. One of the people Mr. Matheson requested advice from was Dr. George Stanley from RMC. Dr. Stanley suggested the flag be a single red maple leaf on a white field with 2 red borders, this suggestion would become the basis of what became the National Flag of Canada. It must be noted there were 2465 suggestions made during the flag committee deliberations.

Mr. Matheson commonly known as (Father of our Flag) would always refer to all of the people who helped to bring our flag into being as the (many loving hands) who participated in so many ways, from the initial ideas, concepts, research and advice to the actual team who were responsible for the final design and creation of the most recognized symbol of Canada around the entire world. On November 9th 1964 this team was comprised of Patrick Reid Manager of Graphic Design for Expositions Canada who brought along his very best creative/graphic designer Jacques St. Cyr (who created/designed the stylized 11 point Maple Leaf). George Bist an advertising executive from Toronto who had provided the details for the actual proportions of our flag ( 2:1 provides a very unique visual balance, our flag is 2 times as long as it is in height, the white centre pale is exactly 2 times the size of the red borders. The red and white colours of our Flag represent the (unofficially proclaimed) National Colours of Canada, by King George V in 1921. The colour of red was established by Dr. Gunter Wyzsecki and his team from the National Research Council of Canada and was the first time in history that a scientific colour was created for a National Symbol.

The political wrangling which took place from 1961 through 1964/65 was a testament to this emotionally driven debate in which our Parliamentarians often found themselves in conflict with their own knowledge and the ability to explain the identity of Canada.

In the end the “flag committee” got the job done, their conclusion was sent to Parliament on October 29th 1964 and the debate was absolutely vicious. Through some very difficult and ingenious communications the minority Government was able to get passed the turmoil with a vote on December 15th 1964 at 2:13 am of 163 to 78. The Senate of Canada passed into law on December 17th 1964. Queen Elizabeth the Second proclaimed the National Flag of Canada on January 28th 1965. Our new Canadian Flag was first raised on February 15th 1965.6

Please take some time to remember all of the hard working people who make it possible for Canadians to live, work and play in the best country in the entire world. We have a symbol which is one of the most respected and recognized around the globe, let us all celebrate February 15th 2025 as the 60th birthday of the National Flag of Canada and “fly the Maple leaf” with pride and honour.

Respectfully,

Robert J. Harper

Executive Director

Canadian Flag Education Centre

Press release, Feb 8th, 2021

By Robert J. Harper
Executive Director
Canadian Flag Education Centre

https://canadianflageducationcentre.ca/

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/flag-canada-history.html

Episode 1 - Interview with Robert J Harper, Executive Director of Canadian Flag Education Centre

Edward Chadwick

... it would certainly seem that the Maple Leaf ...
is pre-eminently the proper badge to appear on our flag.1
Edward M. Chadwick, (1896)

http://fraser.cc/FlagsCan/Nation/CanFlag.html


The one man who is most responsible for our present Canadian flag was John Matheson, the Liberal member for Leeds County in Ontario. On February 5, 1963, in the flickering twilight of the Diefenbaker regime, Matheson had placed two questions on the order paper: "Does Canada have national colours, and if so what are these colours? Does Canada have a national emblem and, if so, what is that emblem?" Both answers were to be found in the Canada's 1921 Grant of Arms. The national colours were red and white, as found on the torse and mantling, and the national emblem was three maple leaves conjoined on one stem, as found in the base of the arms. Matheson, a student of heraldry, already knew the answers, but he had been laying the groundwork for the actions of a Liberal government in the succeeding months.

Canadian Maple Leaf Flag and How it was Brought to Fruition By Robert J. Harper

A National Flag for Canada was discussed in detail dating back to 1895/96 by heraldry enthusiast Edward M. Chadwick and others. It was suggested again in 1919 after the First World War with input from expert individuals such as Major-General (later Sir) Eugene Fiset. In 1925 our Canadian Government requested formal submissions and designs from all Canadians, but failed to make any final decision. Then again in 1946 our Government addressed the National Flag issue with requests for more public input through design submissions and advice from experts.
In 1956 Lester B. Pearson (Minister of External Affairs) was successful in brokering a deal to end the Suez Canal crisis (of which he won the Nobel Peace Prize). During this work Mr. Pearson offered Canadian soldiers as peace keepers. His offer was rejected based on the simple fact that our soldiers wore a Red Ensign on their shoulder and could be mistaken as British soldiers. Mr. Pearson was so disappointed by this decision he made a promise to himself to work toward the creation of a National Flag for Canada. In 1957 Mr. Pearson became the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. In 1960 the Liberal Party of Canada instituted a party policy to create a National Flag for Canada.
In 1961 John Ross Matheson from Brockville Ontario was elected in a by-election and became the Liberal Member of Parliament for Leeds County (now Leeds & Grenville). Mr Matheson had been involved with the study of heraldry, flags, ensigns, colours and coats of arms since 1949 with his good friend George Beley (co-founder of the Heraldry Society of Canada, now the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada) in Brockville Ontario.
Mr. Matheson met with Mr. Pearson on Parliament Hill in July 1961, it was at this meeting Mr. Pearson explained his dream of a National Flag for Canada and asked his newly elected “Flag Expert” to begin working behind the scenes on what it would take to bring a National Flag of Canada to fruition. Mr. Matheson promised to complete the work. From late 1961 through 1963 Mr. Matheson sought out and enlisted the expert advice of historians, heraldry experts, and any previously documented information available to him.
In 1963 the Liberal Party of Canada was elected as the Government of Canada. Prime Minister Lester B Pearson announced that Canada would have its very own National Flag within 2 years. Early in 1964 Mr. Matheson enlisted the services of Alan Beddoe (military artist and heraldry enthusiast ,later, co-founder of the Heraldry Society of Canada) to assist him in the design stage of the flag work. Mr. Matheson travelled to RMC in Kingston to meet with DR. George Stanley who was the Dean of Arts and military historian to ask for his input. It was at this meeting that Dr. Stanley made the suggestion of the basic design of the Maple Leaf Flag (recycled Fiset concept).
The suggestion was based upon the design of the RMC Flag, the colours of the General Services Medal 1866-70 and the suggestion of Major-General (later Sir) Eugene Fiset in 1919 of a “”single red maple leaf on a white field”” as the image for a Canadian National Flag to match the image used on the Canadian Olympic Athletes uniforms since 1904.
Mr. Matheson met with Prime Minister Pearson in early May 1964, he brought along Alan Beddoe to this meeting. Mr. Beddoe (without any prior knowledge of Mr. Matheson) presented his version of a proposed Flag (later dubbed the Pearson Pennant) to Mr. Pearson. Mr. Pearson liked the design and it was soon the subject of extensive ridicule which lead to the beginning of the “Great Flag Debate” in Canada.
In September of 1964 after months of flag debate, Prime Minister Pearson announced the formation of a multi-party Parliamentary Flag Committee who would come up with a design. This committee again called on Canadians to submit suggestions for the design of a National Flag for Canada. When added to the previous submissions there were more than 5,900 suggestions with over 2,100 which included a maple leaf.
John Ross Matheson continued to work toward his promise to bring a National Flag to fruition and worked on the Flag Committee as the co-ordinator (Flag expert). He worked to ensure the committee would agree on the choice and made a decision to make the single maple leaf design the one which would become the final choice.
Mr. Matheson enlisted a design team from Canadian Government Expositions Commission to refine the single red maple leaf suggestion into what we know today as the Canadian Maple Leaf Flag. This team was made up of Jacques St. Cyr who created the stylised Maple Leaf, George Bist (independent designer) who designed and created the exact proportions of the red bars the white pale and the length as 2 times the height of the Flag so the Maple Leaf could be visible at a distance, and Dr. Gunter Wyszecki (National Research Council of Canada) who determined the exact colours to match the official colours which were given to Canada by King George V in 1921. This team’s work was co-ordinated and overseen by Patrick Reid who worked directly with John Ross Matheson.
The team’s design was placed on the committee room display board just prior to the final vote of the committee. There were 3 designs in the final vote (Beddoe’s Pearson Pennant”, a single maple leaf design ensign with a fleur- de- lis in one corner and union jack in the opposite corner) and our Canadian Maple Leaf Flag which was chosen on October 22, 1964 by a unanimous 14-0 vote, this recommendation was sent to Parliament to be voted on.
From October 22, 1964 until November 9th 1964 there were several further refinements to the design by changing the 13 points on the Maple Leaf to 11 and by straightening the stem on the leaf. These changes were created by Jacques St. Cyr, Patrick Reid and John Ross Matheson as the design of our Canadian Maple Leaf Flag we see today. The Great Flag Debate raged on in Parliament from October 29th 1964 until the early morning hours of December 15th 1964 when The House of Commons voted 163 to 78 in favour and our Canadian Maple Leaf Flag became a reality.
This is a document of chronological facts which incorporates the details of the efforts by many, many individuals who worked tirelessly to bring the National Flag of Canada to fruition. One name becomes prominent in this document, John Ross Matheson. Mr. Matheson never sought any special recognition from his work to bring the National Flag of Canada to fruition. He was proud to have been part of the team.
Every team has a leader, a quarterback, someone who just gets the job done. Yes, the “job” was given to him by Lester B. Pearson because Mr. Pearson knew that John Ross Matheson had the knowledge and the integrity to fulfill the promise to bring the National Flag of Canada to fruition. This is how the Canadian Maple Leaf Flag was born 50 years ago, and first raised on February 15th 1965.