A London, Ont., veteran who was there when Canada’s maple leaf flag rose for the first time in 1965 is marking its 61st anniversary with a unique tribute: a letter written from the flag’s perspective.

Bruce Stock, a retired major who lives in London, said he still vividly remembers that cold February morning when the new national flag was raised atop the Peace Tower in Ottawa.

“I was there the day it was born,” Stock said in an interview on London Morning. “When it finally unfolded, it was absolutely beautiful. I stood there holding my salute until the flag finally found its form.”

At the time, Stock was serving as an aide-de-camp and educator to Governor General Georges Vanier, giving him a front-row view of a defining moment in Canadian history.

Last year, Stock wrote a letter to the flag. This year, he’s penned what he calls “The Flag’s Letter to Canadians,” delivered to coincide with National Flag of Canada Day, first proclaimed in 1996 by then-prime minister Jean Chrétien.

In Stock’s letter, the flag speaks directly to Canadians, reflecting on the country’s resilience and achievements.

“As Flag Day arrives this year, our sovereignty is now facing uncertainty we’ve never experienced,” the letter reads. “As I look out every day across our magnificent land … it occurs to me that I must not remain silent.”

The letter also speaks to Canadians’ compassion as a defining strength.

“If there is only one reason for Canada’s success… it would be that somehow we have learned how to take care of each other, through thick and thin,” referencing milestones from the discovery of insulin to peacekeeping and contributions to space technology.

The letter also highlights Canadians who have inspired national pride, including Terry Fox, Celine Dion, Martin Short, Lorne Michaels and James Cameron.

“In the end, we have every reason to know, in our hearts, that we are a remarkable people admired across the planet,” the letter concludes. “Allow me to express my profound love for each of you and our cherished land.”

Stock said he hopes the tribute encourages Canadians, especially younger generations, to appreciate the maple leaf as a unifying symbol.

“We’re a young country and still learning how to relate to the flag,” he said. “It’s part of our secret sauce, part of who we are.”

For Stock, seeing the red-and-white flag still brings him back to that moment in 1965.

“Never a day goes by without my seeing that flag somewhere,” he said. “And it brings all those wonderful memories rushing back.”

Bruce Stock’s full letter from The Flag:

Dear Canadians,

Last year, on my 60th Anniversary, one of you was kind enough to write me thanking me for my service to country and the inspiration I offer young Canadians. I was deeply moved.

As Flag Day arrives this year, our sovereignty is now facing uncertainty we’ve never experienced. As I look out every day across our magnificent land, from my 302-foot perch atop The Peace Tower, it occurs to me that I must not remain silent, but share my passions with each of you, about our amazing country which, as the sun rises and sets, remains one of the best and most-admired countries in the world!

If there is only one reason for Canada’s success, that has evolved from our storied history, as I see it, it would be that somehow we have learned how to take care of each other – through thick and thin, the ravages of disease, the lunacy of wars, the hardships of our economy, the political differences, and the regional attitudes that have caused us to question ourselves, as we struggled to find a common path to tomorrow.

And while we were coping with all those impediments, we kept finding that Canadians have so much to offer, from discovering insulin, to inventing basketball and the telephone, to providing peacekeepers and more recently, to building the incredible Canadarm to work in space.

And if those breakthroughs aren’t enough to reinforce our national pride, we also have an impressive number of personalities from Terry Fox, to Céline Dion, to Martin Short, Lorne Michaels and James Cameron, and an equal number of male and female athletes, whose creative offerings and achievements have inspired and entertained us, at home and abroad.

In the end, we have every reason to know, in our hearts, that we are a remarkable people admired across the planet, who are totally in command of our destiny, from coast, to coast, to blessed coast! And there is no reason to doubt our future.

I must close now as duties call, but allow me to express my profound love for each of you and our cherished land.

HAPPY FLAG DAY, CANADA STRONG!

The Flag