Pmm Pearson Flag Debate

In the last 50 years the red and white flag has become a source of national pride for Canada. The flag debates should be considered an overall success despite the numerous challenges that PM Pearson faced in his efforts to change the flag. The public response to the debates was mostly in favour of the leader of the opposition party, Diefenbaker. Despite the success of the flag debates for Pearson, Diefenbaker was able to form stronger arguments which arguably lead to the creation of the current flag. Finally, the flag that was chose was the best option and lead to further Canadian autonomy from Britain and unity as a country. The flag debates were a defining event for Canadian independence and the current flag will continue to be flown proudly

for years to come.
The public response to the flag debates was a defining factor in the outcome of the debates.

Prime Minister Pearson’s idea for the new flag of Canada was not well received. Veterans booed him during a speech he made about the necessity to change the flag. The Red Ensign had become the unofficial flag of Canada and many were unwilling to change that. In addition to this, Canadians didn’t want to just go with whatever Pearson wanted as their flag, they wanted to choose a flag that was symbolic of both new and old Canada and had meaning to Canadians. They wanted a flag they would be proud to fly. Their protests to Pearson’s flag lead to the creation of the current flag as Canadians wanted to decide the flag for themselves. Diefenbaker’s argument was received extremely well by many as they were either in support of the Ensign or in creating a different flag. Diefenbaker was in support of the Red Ensign, but his main focus of the debates was to stop Pearson’s flag from becoming Canada’s national flag. Finally, the debates were a turning point for Canadian identity as it drove Canadian citizens to fight for the flag they thought best represented their

country.
Diefenbaker was able to make the strongest argument.

As a result of that, the flag that was chosen was symbolic of the changing Canadian identity. During a debate Diefenbaker stated that “We have had a flag, flags can be changed, but flags cannot be imposed, a sacred symbol of a peoples hopes and aspirations by the simple capricious personal choice of a Prime Minister of Canada”. In this quote Diefenbaker was able to make it clear that while he is not wholly opposed to changing the flag, the new flag should be chosen by the people. Pearson was arguing for his Pennant and was not eager to compromise. “The Pearson flag was a meaningless flag. There was no recognition of history. No indication of the existence of French and English Canada, the partnership of the races. It is a flag without a past, without history, without honor and without pride”. Diefenbaker brought an important point to light. Pearson’s flag is not representative of Canada. It pays not homage to their past, and therefore is deprived of any significance. With this argument Diefenbaker was able to gain the support of many Canadians. Which Pearson was struggling with at the time. Finally, Diefenbaker effectively targeted Pearson’s intentions behind changing the flag, stating that “Pearson was putting race against race and problems against problems”. Diefenbaker was referring to the threat of a referendum, stating that Pearson’s true intent was to appease to French Canada. This was powerful because it made

people opposed to changing the flag for that sole purpose. Diefenbaker was ultimately the most successful in the debates; however the flag debates should still be considered a success because the current flag represents Canada’s identity and was effective in unifying the nation.
Despite the odds being in favour of the Red Ensign, the flag that was chosen accurately represented the changing Canadian identity. Because of this, it is safe to say that the right flag was chosen. Firstly, at the time of the flag debates, there was the impending possibility of a Quebec referendum. If the flag had remained to be the Red Ensign, there would have been an increased likelihood that the referendum would have been successful. The flag unified French and English Canada and was successful in keeping Canada united as a country. Moreover, the flag that was eventually chosen was designed by a citizen instead of Pearson. Because the debates were so controversial, Canada started to get more involved. Because of this the flag that was chosen was what represented Canada the best and, while was more in favour of Pearson’s design, was ultimately a compromise. Finally, the flag was successful because it has remained a source of pride for Canada for over 50 years. Pierre Trudeau, former Prime Minister stated that, “Fifty years of the Canadian flag is an extremely important milestone for our identity and our national pride. I sure hope the Prime Minister does a good job of celebrating something that binds Canadians together so well”. This shows that years later, the Canadian flag is still beloved and symbolic of Canada’s identity.
The flag debates should be considered a success as the chosen flag was successful in its endeavours to represent Canada and unite the country as a whole. The negative public response to Pearson's argument contributed to the increase in nationalism and pride. Moreover, Diefenbaker was the most successful in gaining the approval of the public through his arguments. Finally, while the odds were in favour of Diefenbaker and the Red Ensign, the flag that won was the most similar to that of Pearson’s design. Therefore it is suffice to say that the correct flag was chosen as it still remains to be a source of pride for the nation.The debates were successful in creating a flag that represented Canada and would continue to do so for 50 years counting