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National Flag Day of Canada - February 15th

National Flag of Canada Day — February 15 At the stroke of noon on February 15, 1965, Canada’s red and white maple leaf flag was raised for the very first time on Parliament Hill. On the same day in 1996, National Flag of Canada Day was declared.

Canadian Flag Etiquette

  • The National Flag of Canada should always fly alone on its own flagpole or mast.

  • The National Flag of Canada can be flown at night without being lit.

  • When the National Flag of Canada is raised or lowered, or when it is carried past in a parade or review, people should face the flag, men should remove their hats, and all should remain silent.

  • The National Flag of Canada is lowered to half-mast on occasions when a demonstration of sorrow is called for. Canada has its own Rules for Half-masting.

  • Replace a faded or torn flag with a new one. When a flag becomes tattered and is no longer in a suitable condition for use, it should be destroyed in a dignified way.

  • The National Flag of Canada should be treated with respect.

  • The dimensions/proportions of the National Flag of Canada have an exact ratio of 2 to 1 (twice as long as it is wide), and must not be modified.

  • The National Flag of Canada should not be written on or marked in any way, nor be covered by other objects.

  • Nothing should be pinned or sewn on the National Flag of Canada.

  • The National Flag of Canada should never be dipped or lowered to the ground as a means of paying a salute or compliment to any person or thing.

Disposal of the National Flag of Canada

A flag is considered to be worn when the colour has faded, it has developed a hole or the outermost seam (fly) of the flag has become frayed. When a flag becomes tattered and is no longer in a suitable condition for use, it should be disposed of in a dignified manner.

The disposal of a flag may be handled in the following manner:

  • Flags made of natural fibres (wool, cotton, linen) should be burned in a dignified manner, privately, without ceremony or public attention being drawn to the destruction of the material.
  • Flags made of synthetic material (nylon or polyester) should not be burned due to environmental damage and potential fire hazard. They should be respectfully torn into strips, with each element of the flag reduced to a single colour, so that the remaining pieces do not resemble a flag. The individual pieces should then be placed in a bag for disposal -- the shreds of fabric should not be reused or fashioned into anything.

Beechwood Cemetery, the National Cemetery of Canada, operates a program to respectfully retire national and provincial flags, consistent with the National Flag of Canada etiquette.

The government website has a pdf file with the proposed flags for Canada.

Canadian Links (Originally collected for my Canadian Culture ezine).

People I've bought coffee for on ko-fi.

Noah Nowhere - Exploring old and abandoned places, somewhere in Ontario. Also on Instagram.

Shandi with the site: Small Town Canada - She was off to a great start but hasn't posted in awhile. See also Instagram and her YouTube account.

Canada's Magic

Robyn Lacy - historical archaeologist with a PhD, focused on burial grounds, historic landscapes, and built heritage. Spade and the Grave.