In 1956, Lester B. Pearson was instrumental in negotiating a resolution to the Suez Canal crisis and to the dispatch of United Nations peacekeeping troops to Egypt. He was troubled by the EgyptiansΓÇÖ refusal, however, to allow the participation of a Canadian infantry battalion, the QueenΓÇÖs Own Rifles, in the force because the local population might confuse it with a British regiment. The uniforms were similar and the Canadian Red Ensign had the Union Jack in the corner. He concluded that Canada needed distinctive symbols, including a national flag.
