The Honourable John Ross Matheson, OC , CD , QC , LL.M. , LL.D. (born November 14, 1917) is a former Canadian politician who helped develop both the maple leaf flag and the Order of Canada. The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable ( or formerly The Honble) is a title of quality attached to the names of certain classes of persons. ... The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, awarded to those who adhere to the Orders motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam meaning desiring a better country. ... Canadian Forces Decoration The Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian military award given to officers and soldiers of the Canadian Armed Forces who have completed twelve years of service. ... Queens Counsel (postnominal QC), during the reign of a male Sovereign known as Kings Counsel (KC), are barristers or, in Scotland, advocates appointed by Letters patent to be one of Her Majestys Counsel learned in the law. They do not constitute a separate order or degree of... The Master of Laws is an advanced law degree that allows someone to specialize in a particular area of law. ... Legum Doctor (English: Doctor of Laws; abbreviated to LL.D.) In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, the LL.D. is a doctorate usually awarded on the basis of exceptionally insightful and distinctive publications, containing significant and original contributions to the science or study of law. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining. ... 1917 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Flag Ratio: 1:2 (1965–Present) The National Flag of Canada, popularly known as the Maple Leaf Flag (French: lUnifolié the one-leaved), is a base red flag with a white square in its centre, featuring a red stylized 11-pointed maple leaf. ... The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, awarded to those who adhere to the Orders motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam meaning desiring a better country. ...

Born in Arundel, Quebec, the son of Reverend Dr. Dawson and Gertrude Matheson, he served as an officer during World War II. Arundel, Quebec is located 18 km south of the new amalgamated community of Mont Tremblant Canada (largest ski resort in eastern North America). ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (over 11 miles) into the air, August 9, 1945 after the Allied atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. ...

He was first elected as a Liberal in the Ontario riding of Leeds in a by-election in 1961. He was re-elected in 1962, 1963, and 1965. He was defeated by 4 votes in 1968. From 1966 to 1968, he was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, Lester Pearson. The Liberal Party of Canada (French: Parti libéral du Canada) is Canadas largest political party. ... A by-election or bye-election is a special election held to fill a political office when the incumbent has died or resigned. ... 1961 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... When the Canadian federal election of 1962 was called, the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada of John George Diefenbaker had governed for almost five years with the largest majority in the House of Commons in Canadian history. ... The Canadian federal election of 1963 resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of John George Diefenbaker. ... In the Canadian federal election of 1965, the Liberal Party of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was re-elected with a larger number of seats in the Canadian House of Commons. ... In the Canadian federal election of June 25, 1968, the Liberal Party won a majority government under its new leader, Pierre Trudeau. ... 1966 was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The Right Honourable Lester Bowles Mike Pearson (April 23, 1897 - December 27, 1972) was the fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada from April 22, 1963, to April 20, 1968, and also a 1957 Nobel Laureate. ...

Matheson was a leading member of the multi-party parliamentary committee whose mandate was to select a new flag design. It was George F.G. Stanley's idea that the new flag should be red and white, and that it should feature the leaf of the sugar maple. Matheson wrote a book, Canada's Flag: A Search for a Country, about the creation of the new flag. The Flag of Canada Colonel The Honourable George Francis Gillman Stanley, C.C., C.D., D.Phil. ... Binomial name Acer saccharum Marsh. ...

He was also a Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice.

Honours

• In 1993, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.