Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is Flag Day. Fifty years ago, in March 1964, a conversation took place at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, between a native of Alberta, George Stanley, dean of arts at RMC, and a native of Quebec, John Matheson, Liberal MP for Leeds, a conversation that led to the design of the new maple leaf flag.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Lester Pearson, the new flag was approved by Parliament and took effect on February 15, 1965.
To change the most important symbol of a country, to leave behind the old and journey ahead with the new, was a courageous expression of a profoundly optimistic and ambitious vision of Canada's potential, Canada's future, and Canada's place in the world.
May we continue to express and journey ahead toward an ambitious vision for Canada.