Truly Canadian – CGSB’s National Flag of Canada Standards
February 15 is National Flag of Canada Day.
This year, we celebrate the 44th anniversary of our national flag, approved by the House of Commons on December 15, 1964, and subsequently
proclaimed by Queen Elizabeth II to take effect on February 15, 1965. (For more on the story of our flag, see Canada’s Flag: A
Search for a Country by John Ross Matheson [Belleville, Ont.: Mika Publishing Company, 1986]. Also visit Canadian Heritage at  http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/ for details on National Flag of Canada Day.)
An interdepartmental committee chaired by the Department of National Defence developed the very first specification for our flag in 1965.
This specification was turned over to the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) and first published on June 1, 1966, as Standard for the
National Flag of Canada, 98-GP-1.
In 1984, the House of Commons passed Bill C-234, an Act to establish standards for the manufacture of the national flag of Canada, which
directed the Canadian General Standards Board to "...establish standards for manufacture of the national flag of Canada corresponding
to the intended use of such flag under varying conditions..."
Three National Standards of Canada for the national flag have been developed, for outdoor, indoor and one-event-only use (CAN/CGSB-98.1,
CAN/CGSB-98.2 and CAN/CGSB-98.3 respectively). These standards are periodically reviewed and updated.
A CGSB committee of volunteers from industry and government is responsible for technical aspects of the national flag standards. The CGSB is grateful to them for their dedication to improving the quality and longevity of our distinctive national symbol. Join us as we wave our
national flag on February 15!
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