French colonial holdings in North America, New France, reached its peak in 1712 with territory stretching from Newfoundland to the Rocky Mountains and from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. When Canada became independent in 1867, a distinctive new Canadian flag was needed to represent the country. Canada had been using the same flag as the United Kingdom. The new flag depicted a quartered shield containing the four coat of arms of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec, the first four Canadian provinces. The need for a redesigned flag became evident as more provinces were added to the Canadian Confederation. The 1921 Red Ensign replaced the quartered shield of the original four provinces with the Canadian national coat of arms. In 1964, Prime Minister Lester Pearson proposed a new design for the Canadian flag. Several designs were submitted and all incorporated a maple leaf.
