By Pepper Parr
February 28, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington has thousands of people who remember all too well the public debate over the adoption of a new flag for the country. Lester B.. Pearson, the Prime Minister at the time was giving a speech at a Legion gathering – they came close to booing him off the stage.
Noon of February 15th, 1965 – the \red \maple leaf was flown from Parliament for the first time.
But at noon on February 15, 1965 the red maple leaf went up the flag pole on Parliament hill – and at locations across the country – and has been there ever since. That flag had a very difficult early childhood.
The flag that is raised each day and taken down each evening on Parliament Hill is donated to some organization where it is proudly flown. The list for flag requests stretches four years into the future.
Now that it is part of who we are there are groups across the country who want to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the red maple leaf.
A massive Canadian flag was passed hand over hand amongst a huge crowd in Montreal days before the citizens of Quebec voted in their referendum to remain a part of Canada.
Hometown Proud, a unique national program, that is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Flag of Canada is doing a cross country recording session tour and will be in Burlington March 10th to record the students at Pauline Johnson public school taking part in a national version of O Canada.
This unique program commemorates and aims to educate students on the history of Canada’s national flag, as well as unite students in what may be the largest recording of O Canada.
Getting to the point where Canada could celebrate the 50th anniversary was not an easy process. The link below is a CBC clip on the raising of the new flag. It is lengthy – 20 minutes – but if you want to fully appreciate what we went through – take the time. Watch for that Canadian hero Georges Vanier who was Governor General at the time. Stooped and looking every day his 70 |+ years Vanier watches as a flag he loved and fought under – losing a leg in the process – is brought down.
The film footage is HERE
