What was Canada's flag before the Maple Leaf?

The Canadian Red Ensign was the de facto Canadian national flag from 1868 until 1965. It was then replaced by the maple leaf design. Based on the ensign flown by British merchant ships since 1707, the three successive formal designs of the Canadian Red Ensign bore the Canadian coats of arms of 1868, 1921 and 1957.

Although never formally adopted as the national flag, the Canadian version of the Red Ensign (the “Canadian Red Ensign”) represented Canada as a national symbol until 1965, when it was replaced by the maple leaf–based national flag. It was, in effect, “the de facto Canadian flag,” and was described by the Governor General, Lord Stanley, in 1891, as “the Flag which has come to be considered as the recognized Flag of the Dominion both afloat and ashore.”