 The new maple leaf flag was approved by the Parliament of Canada on 17 December 1964.However, on the following day, the Canadian parliament passed another resolution that designated the Union Flag as the "Royal Union Flag", and authorized its official use as the symbol of the country's membership in the Commonwealth of Nations, and its allegiance to the Crown.The move was a concession given to those who preferred to adopt the Canadian Red Ensign as a formal national flag.