On today’s date in 1964, the “Great Canadian Flag Debate” ended by closure resulting in the adoption of the maple leaf flag as Canada’s national flag.
After about 250 speeches, the final vote to adopt the maple leaf flag took place at 2:15 a.m. on Dec. 15, 1964.
On Jan. 28, 1965, Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed the new flag. It was inaugurated at an official ceremony held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 15 of that year.
The Mint also issued a $25 Fine silver coin to commemorate the national flag’s 50th anniversary.
50th ANNIVERSARY COIN
In 2015, to mark the flag’s 50th anniversary, the Royal Canadian Mint issued a series of commemorative and circulating coins, including a 25-cent piece designed by Bonnie Ross.
The reverse of the 25-cent circulation coin features an illustration of Canada’s national flag surrounded by 50 children, each representing one of the flag’s 50 years as well as Canada’s future. The words “50 years/ans” also appear at the bottom centre of the design.
Out of a total of mintage of 12.5 million coins, 6.25 million were coloured and an equal number were non-coloured. They began circulating nationally as of June 9, 2015.