National colours of Canada

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The national colours of Canada (French: Couleurs nationales du Canada) are red and white, the former being symbolic of England and the latter of France, the colours having been used representatively by those countries in the past.^[1] The maple is one of the national symbols and red is both the first leaf colour after spring budding and the autumn colour of maple leaves.^[2] The colours are most prominently evident on the national flag of Canada and it has been said they were declared the country's official colours when King George V proclaimed his Canadian coat of arms in 1921.^[3] However, there is no mention of national colours in the proclamation. Similarly, the creation of Queen Elizabeth II's royal standard in 1962 is also considered to be when red and white were unofficially set as the national colours.