OTTAWA— Liberal Leader Bob Rae made the following statement today on the National Flag of Canada Day:
“On this day, 47 years ago, the maple leaf flew for the first time as our official national symbol. Since then the red and white maple leaf flag has been proudly worn by our athletes in international competitions and sewn on the backpacks of Canadians traveling abroad.
The Canadian flag has become a ubiquitous symbol of both worldliness and hospitality across the globe. That worldliness took on a whole new meaning in 1981, when the Canadarm was deployed from the Columbia space shuttle; the world saw an amazing piece of technology that donned our flag.
Today, as we look at the Canadian flag and consider its significance and its history, I would like to salute the determined leadership of Lester B. Pearson during the flag debate. I also extend our appreciation to former Liberal Member of Parliament from Leeds, John Matheson, who still lives in Kingston today, and who was the driving force behind the multi-party committee to select the maple leaf flag, and later helped develop the Order of Canada.
On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and our Parliamentary Caucus, I wish all Canadians a happy Flag Day.”
