George Stanley

George Stanley

Mr. Stanley wrote a letter to the flag committee suggesting that the new Canadian flag should be instantly recognizable, and simple enough so that school children could draw it. He drew a rough sketch of his design on the bottom of the letter. (It had been inspired as he drove earlier that day, when he saw a red and white tri-bar flag fluttering near the Royal Military College in Kingston)

The letter was placed on a wall with literally hundreds of other flag designs, and eventually was selected as one of the final three designs for consideration. Through some clever political moves by the Liberal members of the committee, it beat out Diefenbaker's flag (A horrid Fluer De Lis-Red Ensign-Union Jack combination), as well as the Pearson Pennant. (A three leafed stem on a white background with blue bars on either side)

Mr. Stanley's design was slightly modified by a governemnt graphic artist (Who, ironically enough, was a seperatist) who gave the flag its current look. Some debate emerged over whether Mr. Stanley or the graphic designer should get credit for the flag, but it was settled in 1995 when Prime Minister Jean Chretien offcially recognized George Stanley as the father of Canada's flag.