MARCH 15, 2026 — A grassroots movement led by a retired Royal Canadian Air Force pilot is seeking to establish Canada’s first official flag dedicated to the nation’s 460,000 military veterans, says Barrie 360.
Kent Smerdon, a Barrie-based veteran with a 31-year aviation career spanning the military and commercial sectors, designed the “Canadian Military Veterans Unity Flag” to fill what he describes as a void in the country’s national iconography.
The proposal stems from Smerdon’s observation that while active-duty units and branches possess distinct heraldry, no singular, year-round emblem exists to identify all former service members regardless of their specific branch or length of tenure.
This lack of visibility is particularly acute for those who served fewer than 12 years, the threshold for most service medals, leaving many with only a certificate of service to mark their contribution.
“Why don’t we have one emblem that a veteran could wear on his lapel… that says to the onlooker, he or she served the country in uniform?” Smerdon questioned during a podcast interview about the initiative.
The design, according to an article submitted by Smerdon to the RMC Alumni Association, features a prominent white “V” on a red field, intended to symbolize “Veteran” in both English and French, as well as “valour” and its French counterpart “vaillance.”
Within this frame, a red maple leaf, used with permission from the Department of Canadian Heritage, is surrounded by a white border to represent the protection of the nation’s frontiers. The maple leaf’s upper tip reaches the top of the flag to denote Canada’s Arctic reach, while its base rests on a solid white foundation symbolizing the country’s diverse topography, from the Rock of Newfoundland to the Rocky Mountains.
Notably, the maple leaf makes contact with the “V” at three distinct points to represent the traditional land, sea, and air branches of the armed forces.
The red background is intended to signify the courage and sacrifice of service members, as well as the blood shed by both the wounded and the fallen. In contrast, the white elements represent peace, purity, and the Canadian landscape.
While the design has already garnered emotional support at local veteran gatherings, formal adoption as a national symbol requires a legislative process through Parliament. The proposal must navigate the federal bureaucracy, specifically through the Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs.
Smerdon is currently focused on securing formal endorsements from major organizations, including the Royal Canadian Legion and various branch associations.
Beyond the flag itself, the project envisions designating November as National Military Veterans Month and producing lapel pins on a non-profit basis.
Smerdon suggests that such a symbol would allow the veteran community to remain visible to the public beyond the annual ceremonies of Remembrance Day.
Image: RMC Alumni Association
