Great Canadian Flag Debate on December 15, 1964. It resulted in the adoption of the "Maple Leaf" as the Canadian national flag. The flag was inaugurated on February 15, 1965, and since 1996, February 15 has been commemorated as National Flag of Canada Day. For much of its post-Confederation history, Canada used both the Royal Union Flag (Union Jack) as its national flag, and the Canadian Red Ensign as a popularly recognized and distinctive Canadian flag. The first Canadian Red Ensigns were used in Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald's time. The Governor General at the time of Macdonald's death, Lord Stanley, wrote to
Flag of the Black Country catalyst for starting an official Black Country Day & Festival in 2014. Black Country Day was first introduced in March 2013 but later moved to July 14th to mark the anniversary of the invention of the Newcomen beam engine. In July 2017, West Midlands newspaper the "Express & Star" reported that recently-elected local MP Eleanor Smith had described the flag as "racist" and "offensive" and wanted it to be scrapped, citing possible slavery connotations of the chain imagery and colours. Responding to criticism, Smith said the flag made her feel "uneasy", and that she had been expressing the concerns of