Its symbol is a maple leaf, a reference to Canada's environment and natural beauty .

On 15 February 1965, Canada introduced its own flag to symbolise its independence and unity.

The flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf Flag or the One-leaved (in French: l'Unifolié), is unique from many standpoints:

It is the only flag tested under various wind velocities at a wind tunnel research laboratory.
Its commercial use is protected by trade mark laws.
It has what was termed a Canadian Pale by vexillologists and heraldists: A big pale centred on the flag which covers half of its width. Pales, in Vexillology and Heraldry, are vertical stripes that usually cover only 1/3 of a flag's width. Many municipal and local flags in Canada also have Canadian pales, but no other national flags employ this design.
Its symbol is a maple leaf, a reference to Canada's environment and natural beauty (although, eh, cold!). The leaf has 11 points but some old representations of the flag showed 15 points because they tripled the 2 bottom points.
Its official colours, designated by King George V of United Kingdom in 1921, are references to St. George's cross (national flag of England from 1277) and the French royal emblem since King Charles VII of France.
It is instantly recognisable by most people around the world because of the aforementioned unique characteristics.