Why is Canada flag red and white with a leaf ?
The National Flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf, is a flag consisting of a red field with a white square at its center, in the middle of which is featured a stylized, 11-pointed, red maple leaf.
The maple leaf represents the country along with the white background. The red bars at the ends represent the two oceans bordering the west and east coasts. Created by George Stanley and inspired by the flag of the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in Kingston, Ontario. The red spaces on either side of the white square are exactly half the size of the square. The various maple leaf symbols representing Canada used to be green, but switched to red to show one of Canada's official colours. The maple leaf has been used as a Canadian emblem since the 1700s. Long before Europeans settled the land, the aboriginal people of Canada were harvesting maple sap for its food properties—the forerunner of the much-loved pancake condiment, maple syrup.
Original: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Canada | http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/06/origin-of-the-canadian-flag/
