You Americans... (chuckle, chuckle... as she shakes her head...)  Oak leaf, Bobby? Betty? lol!!

And no, Bobby. Yankees were not responsible for our flag in any way... We just kicked your *ss in the war of 1812. LOL. No excuses about red leaves camouflaging anyone. (Inject note of Northern pride here) I do believe we are the only country in the world to officially win a war against the US (though technically we were British then...) But still...  :-P

There is a site you may want to check out if you are interested in Canadian history (yes we have one<smile>) and trivia tidbits:

http://canada.gc.ca/canadiana/cdaind_e.html 

I have included 2 excerpts below re the origin of our flag (the maple leaf and the red and white) from the ceremonial and Canadian symbols section.

Seems strange to think that, as familiar as the Maple leaf is as a symbol of this country, the flag was not officially adopted til 1965. I was 2 and a half years old!  :-)

Yvonne

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"The maple leaf was historically used from the early days of Canada to symbolize the land and its people. It was first proposed as an emblem of Canada in 1834 when the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste was founded; shortly thereafter, in 1836, Le Canadien, a newspaper published in Lower Canada, referred to it as a suitable emblem for Canada. 

"It was also used in the decorations for the visit of the Prince of Wales to Canada in 1860. It appears on the coats of arms granted to Quebec and Ontario in 1868 and as a distinctive emblem on the royal arms of Canada proclaimed in 1921. The maple leaf was for many years the symbol of the Canadian Armed Forces and was used to identify Canadian contingents in the two world wars. But it wasn't to receive official status until the National Flag of Canada was proclaimed by Her Majesty the Queen in 1965. "

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"Dr. Stanley's design is based on a strong sense of Canadian history. The combination of red, white and red first appeared in the General Service Medal issued by Queen Victoria. Red and white were subsequently proclaimed Canada's national colours by King George V in 1921. Three years earlier, Major General (later the Honourable) Sir Eugene Fiset had recommended that Canada's emblem be the single red maple leaf on a white field - the device worn by all Canadian Olympic athletes since 1904.  

"The committee eventually decided to recommend the single-leaf design, which was approved by resolution of the House of Commons on December 15, 1964, followed by the Senate on December 17, 1964, and proclaimed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, to take effect on February 15, 1965. " 

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