Executive Council
February 13, 2015

The following is being distributed at the request of His Honour, the Honourable Frank F. Fagan, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador:

The Lieutenant Governor Promotes a Celebration of Our Flag

The Honourable Frank F. Fagan, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, is pleased to announce a very exciting and special initiative intended to help celebrate the 50th Anniversary of our Canadian Flag.

Sunday, February 15, marks 50 years since the day that our flag was first raised over Canadian soil.

To commemorate this occasion, the Lieutenant Governor has issued a challenge to students in Newfoundland and Labrador to come up with innovative and exciting ways to celebrate our flag and all it means to our Canadian culture and heritage. As part of this initiative, funding will be made available to every school in the province with children in grades K to 6 that wish to participate.

“It’s a privilege to be able to offer a program that will aid our youth in uncovering more about our flag, and in turn help them explore more about our unique culture, history, and heritage. This initiative will hopefully help these children uncover what it truly means to them to be Canadian”, said Lieutenant Governor Fagan.

The Lieutenant Governor and the Honourable Mrs. Patricia Fagan will also be taking this opportunity to visit some of the schools involved to observe their progress and add encouragement and support.

This initiative has been made possible with financial assistance from Canadian Heritage and the provincial Department of Education.

QUICK FACTS

  • The official ceremony inaugurating the new Canadian flag was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on February 15, 1965, with Governor General Georges Vanier, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, the members of the Cabinet and thousands of Canadians in attendance.
  • The current flag was designed by Colonel George Francis Gillman Stanley, a Canadian historian, author, soldier, teacher, and public servant.

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Media contact:

Peter Noel
Private Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor
729-4494

2015 02 13                              12:10 p.m.