<Tr> <Th> Proportion </Th> <Td> 1: 2 </Td> </Tr> <P> The flag of Canada, often referred to as the Canadian flag, or unofficially as the Maple Leaf and l'Unifolié (French for "the one - leafed"), is a national flag consisting of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of 1: 2: 1, in the middle of which is featured a stylized, red, 11 - pointed maple leaf charged in the centre . It is the first specified by law for use as the country's national flag . </P> <P> In 1964, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson formed a committee to resolve the ongoing issue of the lack of an official Canadian flag, sparking a serious debate about a flag change to replace the Union Flag . Out of three choices, the maple leaf design by George Stanley, based on the flag of the Royal Military College of Canada, was selected . The flag made its first official appearance on February 15, 1965; the date is now celebrated annually as National Flag of Canada Day . </P> <P> The Canadian Red Ensign was unofficially used since the 1890s and approved by a 1945 Order in Council for use "wherever place or occasion may make it desirable to fly a distinctive Canadian flag". Also, the Royal Union Flag remains an official flag in Canada . There is no law dictating how the national flag is to be treated, but there are conventions and protocols to guide how it is to be displayed and its place in the order of precedence of flags, which gives it primacy over the aforementioned and most other flags . </P>

When did the maple leaf become the canadian flag