ANOTHER FLAG ISSUE?

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19154, 10 November 1927, Page 8

ANOTHER FLAG ISSUE?

POSSIBILITY IN CANADA. Faoit a Srzcuu, Coßaseroironrr. VANCOUVER, October 5. The flag promises to become* on© of the leading political issues in Canada during the coming year. With the Dominion becoming more and more propsrous, with its status as a nation definitely recognised by Great Britain and the League of Nations, and with other more pressing problems out of the way, all is set for a revival of what promises to be a bitter dispute over the selection of a Canadian national flag. The selection of any other flag than the Union Jack will be contested, aIL the way from Halifax to Vancouver, by the British origin portion of the population, which has all along been 1 opposed to the use of the red ensign which, some sixty years ago, .received official sanction as the Canadian marine flag. With tbe jack in the staff corner and the Canadian coat of arms in the centre of the red field, the marine ensign has for forty years been the official flag flown at the Parliament Buildings at Ottawa. It is still used on all Cauadian buildings, and flies on the Canadian "embassy''at Washington. Its use at Ottawa was discontinued in 1904 becuse of agitation on behalf of the Union Jack, which is still regarded as the official flag of the !Dominion. Sentiment is growing rapidly for an ensign that will be definitely Canada's. The Australian and New Zealand flags, flown in thousands all over Canada on Jubilee Day, July Ist, attracted more' volume to this sentiment, which is buttressed also by the agitation in South Africa for a national flag for the Union. Mr Mackenzie King, three years ago, appointed a flag commission, which was, however, disbanded in reply to an agitation, but Mr Mackenzie King has now a strong majority in Parliament, and it is expected that ha will ; again set up the Commission when Parliament meets. The high level which Canadianism has reached in this Jubilee year has been associated with a correspondingly less expression of the Empire spirit that marked the success of previous agitations against a purely Canadian flag.