Canadian flag business booming for Ontario company | News

You might not know that Feb. 15 is National Flag Day.

And with Canadians embracing their hometown pride in the wake of United States President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and calling Canada the 51st state, business has been booming for companies like The Flag Store based in Simcoe County.

“It’s been going crazy; we’re selling car flags, flags for on balconies and we even had two people who wanted to get their orders in quickly for fibreglass flag poles,” said company CEO Cecilia Burke.

This year, the good old red and white maple leaf flag is actually celebrating its 60th anniversary on Saturday, Feb. 15.

Ottawa is hosting a flag-raising ceremony Feb. 14 at 11 a.m. along the Rideau Canal to kick of the festivities.

Encouraging patriotism

Former prime ministers Joe Clark, Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper have jointly written an open letter, telling Canadians to “show the flag as never before” following “threats and insults from Donald Trump.”

“Let’s fly our flag with pride. Let’s show the world that we are proud of our history and proud of our country,” the former first ministers wrote.

“In the last week, public displays of national pride have become more prominent following external economic pressures,” Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge said in a press release. “The growing sense of unity and national identity is an occasion to engage Canadians to mark the flag’s anniversary.”

A typical three by six foot flag for a flagpole will cost around $60 at the moment at theflagstore.ca.

“We had supporters from the United States who said they support their Canadian friends, recognizing the fact that they would pay $30 in shipping to ship it down to Arizona. It’s continued all week long,” Burke said. “We sew our own flags, and customers like the fact they’re made by Canadians.”

“My parents started this company 60 years ago — it just happened to be the same time (as the Canadian flag came out),” Burke said. “My father was an upholsterer, and when the Canadian flag came into existence, they were printing flags. Canada couldn’t tweak printing red into white. It would turn pink sometimes.”

With commercial sewing machines already in his shop, Burke’s father decided to put a maple leaf appliqué onto the white flag, then added two red borders.

“There’s a leaf on the front of the flag, and a leaf on the back, so it’s similar to a quilt. That’s what kept us in business, this hand-sewn, heavy-duty, bright red flag.”

Canadian flag history

The Canadian flag — which many fly as a source of national pride — was actually adopted on Dec. 15 back in 1964, with the Senate giving its final approval on Dec. 17.

Queen Elizabeth II ratified the flag on Jan. 28, 1965, and the first time the flag officially flew in Canada was on Feb. 15, 1965.

According to the federal government’s website, new settlers to Canada would use flags from their home country here — including the British Union Jack or the French Tricolore.

Around the 1890s, the Red Ensign flag, which had been used by Canadian naval ships, was used as a secondary flag along with the Union Jack. Various versions of this ensign were used, some with wreaths of maple leaves, crowns and beavers, according to the history of the Canadian flag on the government site.

The maple leaf itself, with its vibrant fall colours, was already a part of Canadian culture, used in books, songs, coins, badges and more.

It became a bit of a symbol of national identity.

During the First World War, soldiers used a maple leaf as a cap badge. And for the fallen, a single maple leaf was carved upon the headstone for servicemen and women from both world wars.

In 1921, King George V granted Royal Arms to Canada, and the shield of Canada’s new official coat of arms was added to the Canadian Red Ensign, Canada.ca said.

This version of the Canadian Red Ensign is the one soldiers took with them to represent Canada during the Second World War.

“In the years following the Second World War, public opinion grew in favour of a new national flag, but the nation was divided,” the government site reads. “Canadians had fought and died under the Union Jack and the Canadian Red Ensign, and many were still attached to these emblems and to their British heritage.”

In 1960, opposition leader Lester B. Pearson started proposing a new flag concept, which had a sprig of three red maple leaves — similar to the ones used on the coat of arms. 

In 1964, a parliamentary committee formed to recommend a new national flag.

Three finalists made the cut: the “Pearson Pennant” with the sprig of three maple leaves, a single maple leaf with a smaller Union Jack on one side and three gold fleurs-de-lis on the other, and George Stanley’s single maple leaf, which was ultimately adopted.

According to canada.ca, Stanley was a former lieutenant-colonel in the army and a military historian. He was also dean of arts at the Royal Military College in Kingston, and it was their flag that inspired his design.

The original design for the single maple leaf on the National Flag of Canada had 13 points, the federal government said on its website.

“This design was hard to recognize as a maple leaf when seen from a distance or floating in windy conditions, so it was changed to its current 11-point design to improve the clarity of the symbol.”