National Flag Day, Feb. 15, marks the 61st anniversary of Canada’s Maple Leaf. Fading in the public consciousness are the debates that accompanied Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson’s proposal to replace the Red Ensign in the 1960s.

Of course, Canada isn’t the only state to have considered changes to its national flag. There are numerous example of flags redesigned to reflect a variety of political agendas.

Flags are treated with reverence in public ceremonies. As we’re witnessing as we take in this year’s Winter Olympic Games, flags brand a nation. They serve as a symbol uniting diverse populations of citizens who share this instant sign of belonging.

Irish political scientist Benedict Anderson referred to these populations as “imagined communities” united by symbols, mass media and myth. Flags are great examples of what British social psychologist Michael Billig refers to as “banal nationalism”. But while flags are often taken for granted, proposals to redesign them can arouse great passion.

The Canadian process differed from New Zealand’s, which is interesting since the two cases share so much else in common.

Canada and New Zealand are both British settler states with large Indigenous and immigrant populations. Neither achieved independence by revolution and both retain strong ties to the Commonwealth.

These ties have been........

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