🐦 Chapter 8: Canadian Symbols
Red and white were the colours of which two countries from the Middle Ages onward?
Correct answer: France and England
✓ France and England
B Scotland and Ireland
C Spain and Portugal
D Germany and Italy
💡 Explanation
Red and white traces back to France and England, where they had been used since medieval times.
Key facts to remember
- The new Canadian flag first flew in 1965
- Red-white-red comes from the Royal Military College, Kingston (1876)
- Red and white became Canada's national colours in 1921
- The Union Jack is Canada's official Royal Flag
- The Red Ensign was the flag for about 100 years
- Veterans have carried the Red Ensign officially since 2005
- Provinces and territories each have their own flag
Why this is the answer
From the official Discover Canada study guide — 8.1.3 Flags in Canada:
The maple leaf flag was raised for the first time in 1965. Its red-white-red pattern was taken from the flag of the Royal Military College in Kingston, which was founded in 1876. The two colours have a long history. Red and white were used by France and by England as far back as the Middle Ages. They were made Canada's national colours in 1921. So the flag that looks modern is built from very old material.
Canada flies more than one historic flag. The Union Jack is the official Royal Flag of Canada. The Canadian Red Ensign served as the country's flag for about 100 years before 1965, and since 2005 veterans have carried it officially at ceremonies and parades. Every province and territory also has a flag of its own. Each of those flags carries the traditions of that place, so the pattern of symbols repeats at the regional level as well as the national one.
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