| Excerpt |
Canada's national flag was assigned by royal proclamation of 28 January 1965. Previously, a number of flags had enjoyed a national status because they truly represented the mother country or because the popular mind in the colony conferred them that status, though they were intended for other purposes. This trend, which dates to the time of New France, was continued when the English began occupying areas that in time would become part of Canada. It was intensified after the surrender of the French colony to Great Britain in 1763. The process that eventually led to the adoption of the Canadian flag was entirely democratic. |
