Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About Canada's Maple-Leaf Flag

Growing up in the USA, I am very familiar with "the stars and stripes", "Old Glory", the US flag. I know the story of how Betsy Ross sewed the first flag with thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen stars in 1776. I learned how whenever a new State was added, another star was also added to our flag - now with fifty stars - but still the 13 stripes to represent the original 13 colonies.

So, now I'm a "Lost Canadian", I thought it would be important for me to learn about the Canadian flag - and today I'm sharing with you what I have learned . . .

• The National Flag of Canada, though simple with its red and white colors and a single maple leaf, symbolizes pride and strength throughout Canadian history. 
• The National Flag of Canada stands out both at home and abroad as one of the most striking and recognizable symbols representing Canada.
• Several different flags were used in Canada before our current
  
  National Flag. Since the first days of the European presence on Canadian soil, the flags of the European homelands, such as France, were displayed. The flags of British North America used in colonial Canada showcased ties to the British Empire.
• Both before and after Confederation in 1867, Canada used the United Kingdom’s Royal Union Flag, commonly known as the Union Jack.
• Another British flag used in Canada was the Red Ensign. While
  
  it was officially a naval flag used by Canadian ships starting in the 1890s, the Canadian Red Ensign — a combination of the Union Jack and the shield of Canada — had been used unofficially both at sea and on land since the 1870s and was widely recognized as a national symbol. 

You will find my full post about Canada's Flag at this link.