Which country adopted its current national flag only in 1965, replacing an ensign that had featured the Union Jack, after a fiercely contested parliamentary 'Great Flag Debate'?
- Australia
- Canada
- New Zealand
- South Africa
Why B? And why not the others?
Correct answer: B. Canada
Canada's red-and-white maple leaf flag, designed by historian George Stanley and based on the colours of the Royal Military College of Canada, was adopted on 15 February 1965 (a date still marked annually as National Flag of Canada Day) after Prime Minister Lester Pearson pushed through months of heated debate over whether to keep any trace of the Union Jack. Dozens of rival designs were tabled, including versions with three joined maple leaves or a beaver, before a single 11-point stylised leaf won out. Australia and New Zealand are the tempting traps because both still fly Union-Jack-in-the-canton ensigns essentially unchanged since the early 20th century, and South Africa, though it did redesign its flag, only did so in 1994, three decades later.
Source: Britannica: flag of Canada; Government of Canada: National Flag of Canada Day