<P> The number of points on the leaf has no special significance; the number and arrangement of the points were chosen after wind tunnel tests showed the current design to be the least blurry of the various designs when tested under high wind conditions . </P> <P> The image of the maple leaf used on the flag was designed by Jacques Saint - Cyr; Jack Cook claims that this stylized eleven - point maple leaf was lifted from a copyrighted design owned by a Canadian craft shop in Ottawa . The colours 0 / 100 / 100 / 0 in the CMYK process, PMS 032 (flag red 100%), or PMS 485 (used for screens) in the Pantone colour specifier can be used when reproducing the flag . For the Federal Identity Program, the red tone of the standard flag has an RGB value of 255--0--0 (web hexadecimal #FF0000). In 1984, the National Flag of Canada Manufacturing Standards Act was passed to unify the manufacturing standards for flags used in both indoor and outdoor conditions . </P> <P> The first flag known to have flown in Canada was the St George's Cross carried by John Cabot when he reached Newfoundland in 1497 . In 1534, Jacques Cartier planted a cross in Gaspé bearing the French royal coat of arms with the fleurs - de-lis . His ship flew a red flag with a white cross, the French naval flag at the time . New France continued to fly the evolving French military flags of that period . As the de jure national flag of the United Kingdom, the Union Flag (commonly known as the Union Jack and, by law, called the Royal Union Flag in Canada since 1964) was used similarly in Canada since the 1621 British settlement in Nova Scotia . Its use continued after Canada's independence from the United Kingdom in 1931 until the adoption of the current flag in 1965 . </P> <P> Shortly after Canadian Confederation in 1867, the need for distinctive Canadian flags emerged . The first Canadian flag was that then used as the flag of the Governor General of Canada, a Union Flag with a shield in the centre bearing the quartered arms of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick surrounded by a wreath of maple leaves . In 1870 the Red Ensign, with the addition of the Canadian composite shield in the fly, began to be used unofficially on land and sea and was known as the Canadian Red Ensign . As new provinces joined the Confederation, their arms were added to the shield . In 1892, the British admiralty approved the use of the Red Ensign for Canadian use at sea . The composite shield was replaced with the coat of arms of Canada upon its grant in 1921 and, in 1924, an Order in Council approved its use for Canadian government buildings abroad . In 1925, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King established a committee to design a flag to be used at home, but it was dissolved before the final report could be delivered . Despite the failure of the committee to solve the issue, public sentiment in the 1920s was in favour of fixing the flag problem for Canada . New designs were proposed in 1927, 1931, and 1939 . </P>

When did canada stop flying the union jack