Taking time to honour Canada’s flag
Canadians across the country took time on Thursday to honour the flag and celebrate Flag Day.
Flag Day was established in 1996 and commemorates the first time a maple leaf flag flew on Parliament Hill — Feb. 15, 1965.
This year, Flag Day has taken on additional significance as it is taking place during the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Each year, the Government of Canada encourages Canadians to celebrate Flag Day and the Canadian flag as a symbol of Canada’s national identity.
This year, the government is also encouraging Canadians to celebrate their pride on social media and to cheer on Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
The iconic red and white maple leaf flag was designed by Jacques St-Cyr, veteran of the European campaign of the Second World War.
“It’s a beautiful flag,” said Legion president Michael Cormican. “Many people around the world are envious of it. They even wear it on their backpacks and wherever. They feel it’s a sign of safety.”
The declaration of Flag Day in 1996 was overseen by then-Prime Minister Jean Chretien.
“Although simple in design, Canada’s flag well reflects the common values we hold so dear: freedom, peace, respect, justice and tolerance,” he said, as part of that declaration. “Canada’s flag is a symbol that unites Canadian and expresses throughout the world and always our pride in being Canadian.”
To mark the occasion, the General Stewart Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in Lethbridge held a flag change ceremony.
“(The ceremony) is an opportunity to replace the flag when it starts to be a little less becoming than it should be,” he said. ”Of course, the bigger the flag, the more the wear and tear on it.”