Ottawa, Sunday, February 15, 2015

Fifty years ago this very day—February 15th, 1965—thousands of Canadians gathered on Parliament Hill to watch as our country’s flag was hoisted high and flew for the first time in the skies over Canada.

General the Right Honourable Georges P. Vanier was one of those thousands there that day. As the frigid February winds whipped across the red maple leaf, General Vanier called that new flag a symbol of the unity of purpose and high resolve to which destiny beckoned all Canadians.

What that day and those words and, most of all, that flag represented was then—and remains now—unmistakeable.

Together, they symbolized an increasingly hopeful Canada. From that day on, we would think bigger and reach further than ever before.

They also symbolized a rapidly emergent Canada. From that day on, we would define ourselves less through the prism of our past and more by the promise of our future.

Our new flag would be central to that future. Neither wrought in war nor raised in revolution, it represented the country Canada was striving to become, and it dared Canadians to achieve that becoming.

It dared Canadians to be just as bold as that new flag. Just as colourful. Just as spirited. Just as vibrant.

It dared Canadians to build a country worthy of that flag: a country that is smart and caring, peaceful and prosperous, inclusive and fair; a country that strives continually for justice, for equality, for excellence.

On this February day, that same flag now flies proudly over the nation we have become—the country those Canadians dreamed of and determined to build fifty years ago.

Our flag has not aged since. It never frays, never fades. It remains as vivid and vital today as it did the day the winds over the Peace Tower first took hold and unfurled it for all the world to see.

That red maple leaf between red bars is so embedded in our national life, so emblematic of our national purpose, we simply cannot imagine our country without it. It stands for the people we are, the values we cherish and the land we call home—from Atlantic to Pacific to the very top of the world. And when it is shown or worn in any corner of the globe, it elicits smiles of approval and admiration for the Canadian brand.

And just as our flag dared Canadians a half-century ago, it now calls to us.

Our flag dares us to press on with the unfinished work of our country.

To be evermore free and fair, just and inclusive.

To be keener of mind and kinder of heart.

Though we speak many different languages, practice different faiths and originate from all corners of the globe, our flag dares us to live and build together in common cause; and in doing so be an inspiration and guide to people throughout the world and to generations unborn here at home.

Fellow Canadians, as we watch our flag rise again in the February sky, as we sing our nation’s song in one voice, I ask you to reflect on what you will do in the years ahead to realize the unity of purpose and high resolve to which Canada summons us.

With humility, compassion and an unwavering sense of duty, let us now embrace our challenge and fulfil the promise of our country once again.