"The flag is the symbol of the nation's unity, for it, beyond any doubt, represents all the citizens of Canada without distinction, language, belief or opinion."
Speaker of the Senate Maurice Bourget uttered these words on February 15, 1965, when the new red and white maple leaf flew on Parliament Hill for the first time.
But if you covet ownership of an authentic Peace Tower flag, you'll need the patience of a saint, because the demand for this popular piece of Canadiana isn't matched by supply.
"There's a high demand for those flags…the waiting list to receive a Peace Tower flag is approximately seventeen years, they're very popular," says Brian Cook, spokesperson for Public Works and Government Services Canada.
Last year, Kyna Rowbotham, a grade six student at Parkview Public school in Lindsay, Ontario got a head start on queue jumping for a Peace Tower flag. When her school needed a flag for a Remembrance Day educational project, Rowbotham, the daughter of a veteran, inspired her class to write a persuasive letter to the Prime Minister asking for a flag.
It was made clear in the letter that the flag would be used by the school to honour war veterans. A charmed Stephen Harper responded in just three short months, and the school received not only a Peace Tower flag but a letter and an autographed picture as well.
The following is a paragraph from an essay written by Vancouver resident Breanne Browne, which won her both a trip to Ottawa and a Peace Tower flag.
"Being Canadians, we have a responsibility to ourselves and to the international community. We are a perfect example of how distinct, individual cultures can co-exist harmoniously. I love being Canadian."
When was the last time you received a Government of Canada heirloom quality freebie valued at $148.90? When delivered to your door at no charge by Purolator, this flag of prestigious pedigree arrives in a box covered in burgundy leather, complete with the date it flew on the Peace Tower.
A shimmering piece of red and white nylon, the Peace Tower flag measures 2.25 by 4.5 metres, weighs 2.37 kilograms, and flies at the top of a 10.67-metre bronze flag pole. This rust-proof pole is secured to the roof of what is considered by architects to be one of the finest Gothic structures in the world—the 92.2-metre tall Peace Tower, part of the grand main entrance to the nation's premier office building.
The address is of course, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada's capital city.
It was former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien who proclaimed 15 February as Flag Day in 1996. In his speech Chrétien said,
"The flag belongs to all Canadians; it is an emblem we all share. Although simple in design, Canada's flag reflects the common values we hold so dear: freedom, peace, justice and tolerance. Canada's flag is a symbol that unites Canadians and expresses throughout the world and always our pride in being Canadian."
The Heritage Canada website says that the red and white of what is officially called the National Flag of Canada were proclaimed Canada's official colours in the proclamation of the Royal Arms of Canada in 1921 by King George V.
In 1964, Royal military college professor George Stanley suggested a red and white single maple leaf design for the flag because it could be seen clearly from a distance.
MP John Matheson was known as Prime Minister Pearson's "flag Lieutenant" for the critical role he played in getting Parliament to approve the new flag. Matheson's book, Canada's Flag , is considered the most exhaustive study of the national emblem.
Vexillologists, people who study flags, often cite the Canadian flag as "one of the world's most beautiful," because of its simple design and limited number of colours.
The flag has also traveled. In 1982, along with Laurie Skreslet, a skier from Calgary, the maple leaf climbed the tallest peak in the world, Mount Everest. And it blasted into space with Marc Garneau in 1984.
To keep up with the unrelenting demand, Cook says the Peace Tower flag is changed every day except weekends and holidays. All decisions to fly the flag at half mast are made by Heritage Canada.
If you can settle for something a little less, the wait for the smaller East and West block flags on Parliament Hill is only around eight years. But if you do manage to become the proud owner of a Peace Tower flag, just remember: in official flag etiquette, it's not permitted to autograph the flag or personalize it in any way.
And yes, the Peace Tower flag is made in Canada.
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