National Flag of Canada Day is observed annually on February 15 to commemorate the inauguration of the Flag of Canada on that date in 1965. Amid much controversy, the Maple Leaf flag replaced the Canadian Red Ensign, which had been, with various successive alterations, in conventional use as a Canadian national flag since 1868. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Lester Pearson, resolutions recommending the new flag were passed by the House of Commons on December 15, 1964, and by the Senate two days later. The flag, designed by George Stanley, was proclaimed by Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, on January 28, 1965, and took effect “upon, from and after” February 15. National Flag of Canada Day was instituted in 1996 by an Order in Council from Governor General Roméo LeBlanc, on the initiative of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.
