[1] You may not be aware of this but one of Canada’s most heated parliamentary debates was held around something which is near and dear to many of us – The Canadian Flag.  For almost a century following Confederation, Canada ____________ a unifying symbol which represented our distinct “Canadian-ness”. Until as late as 1945, it was the Union Jack (Great Britain’s flag) which was known as Canada’s official flag.  As a “temporary” solution, The Red Ensign was flown for Canada, at sea and at posts around the world, and in 1945 (with the addition of Royal Arms) it was established as the "temporary" Canadian flag, until a replacement was found. What many did not realize is that it would be another 20 years before that would happen.

[2] The ____________ of such an important symbol was not due to Canadians’ ____________ but rather something which still plagues us as a nation today, an impassioned inability to agree upon a common Canadian identity.  In retrospect, had  Canada established its flag immediately following Confederation, it would no doubt have emblazoned the image of the beaver on its flag.  For many years prior to and immediately after 1867, the beaver trade came to symbolize not only economic but also cultural importance in Canada. 

[3] The great flag debate has its roots in the struggle between nationalism and ____________.  Canadians were faced with deciding whether their ____________ lay with Great Britain (imperialists) or with the new nation, Canada (nationalists).  On one side of this great divide were the many descendants from Great Britain who felt they owed their loyalty to the “Mother Country”; while on the other side of this debate, were the French Canadians, immigrants from nations other than Great Britain, and many Anglophone Canadians whose primary loyalty was to this new nation.  The imperialists were lead by John Diefenbaker who boldly declared: “I want to make Canada all Canadian and all British. The men who wish to change our flag should be denounced by every good Canadian.”  The nationalists found their leader in Lester B. Pearson who valued Canada’s ties with Great Britain and to the Union Jack but strongly believed that our great nation should have its own representative flag.  He felt the time had indeed come for Canadians to cut the umbilical cord with Great Britain.  Pearson was so impassioned by this ____________ that he decided to make it the central issue of the Liberal Party’s election platform.  In 1964, Prime Minister Pearson went on to say that he envisioned, “a flag that is ... as Canadian as the Maple Leaf which should be its dominant design."  

1.  The main idea of the article is:  (a) Canadians are satisfied with the current design of their national flag.  (b) The nationalists won the great flag debate.  (c) The establishment of the Canadian flag was a long and complicated process.  (d) Red and white are Canada’s national colours. 

2.   The word “heated” (in paragraph one) is:  (a) a noun (b) a verb   (c) an adverb   (d) an adjective

3.  The word “surely” (in paragraph four) is:  (a) a noun   (b) an adjective (c) a verb (d) an adverb

4.  Using your own words, explain what the phrase “near and dear to many of us” (in paragraph 1) means.

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5.  Find a word in the text that means “understanding”.          ________________

6.  Find a word in the text that means “history”.  ________________

7.  What does the Canadian flag represent to you?  Do you think the flag accurately represents Canadian society?  

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