Feb. 15, 2026, marks 61 years since Canada’s red-and-white maple leaf first flew on Parliament Hill. National Flag of Canada Day is a moment to celebrate the country’s most recognizable symbol. Across the capital on Saturday, Canadians were marking the anniversary. For Teresa Jansman of Prescott, this year’s Flag Day carries extra meaning. For most Canadians, Flag Day is about pride. For Jansman, it’s about patience. In March 2009, she and her two children were visiting Parliament Hill when they learned more about the history of the Canadian flag flying atop the Peace Tower. During that visit, she asked a simple question, what happens to the flags once they’re taken down? “When you replace it, where do the old ones go? Because they replace it quite often,” she recalled. She was told the flag on the Peace Tower is replaced every workday. That day, Jansman added her name to the wait list to receive one. “We didn’t think about it much,” Jansman says. “But once in a while we would comment, I wonder where we are on that wait list.” Seventeen years later, the letter finally came. The flag, measuring 230 centimetres by 460 centimetres arrived in late January, along with a certificate detailing the exact date it flew over the nation’s capital — Oct. 31, 2025 to Nov. 3, 2025. “I received this letter, signed and everything, saying the pride of Canadians and that kind of thing,” she says. “It came with the date that this particular flag was flown.” According to the Government of Canada website, the current waiting period for a Peace Tower flag, or one flown on other Parliament Hill buildings, now exceeds 100 years due to demand. In Ottawa, Winterlude incorporated Flag Day celebrations into its programming, with visitors testing their knowledge of the maple leaf for a chance to win some Canada merchandise and reflecting on what it represents. For Australian Fiona Sharp, partaking in a road trip of Canada with her family, the flag’s symbol resonates far beyond Ottawa. “We like the maple leaf, it’s unique. So, it’s a very strong symbol. We’re supporting Canada,” Sharp says. For Jansman, the pride she feels is as large as the flag she now possesses. The next task, she says, is deciding where to put it. “There are a few suggestions, but nothing’s been decided yet,” she said. “It’s now become a family heirloom, if you will.” The Canadian flag on the Peace Tower is replaced with a new one every workday. Public Services and Procurement Canada says even when scaffolding is installed during ongoing rehabilitation work, the Peace Tower flag will remain visible to Canadians.
