List of Canadian flags

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This is a list of flags used in Canada.

Contents

[edit] National flag

Flag Date Use Description
1965 - present National Flag of Canada
(Maple Leaf Flag, l'Unifolié)
base red flag with a white square in its centre, featuring a red stylized 11-pointed maple leaf

[edit] Provincial and territorial flags

[edit] Provinces

Flag Date Use Description
1625 - present Flag of Nova Scotia A banner of the coat of arms of Nova Scotia, a blue saltire on a white field defaced with an inescutcheon bearing the Arms of Scotland.
1965 - present Flag of New Brunswick A banner of the coat of arms of New Brunswick, top one third, a gold lion representing ties to Brunswick-Lüneburg and England, and the bottom two thirds, a Spanish galley representing the province's shipbuilding industry.
1948 - present Flag of Quebec (the Fleurdelisé) A white cross on a blue field, with a fleurs-de-lis in each quadrant formed by the cross.
1965 - present Flag of Ontario A Red Ensign defaced with the coat of arms of Ontario.
1965 - present Flag of Manitoba A Red Ensign defaced with the coat of arms of Manitoba
1960 - present Flag of British Columbia A banner of the coat of arms of British Columbia, a Union Jack defaced by a crown, with wavy white and blue lines symbolising the Pacific Ocean.
1964 - present Flag of Prince Edward Island A banner of the coat of arms of Prince Edward Island, the upper third features the heraldic lion of England, as shown on the banner of HRH Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent for whom the island is named; the bottom two thirds features 3 small oaks, representing the counties in the province, under the protection of a larger oak representing the UK.
1969 - present Flag of Saskatchewan Green upper half, with the coat of arms of Saskatchewan, yellow lower half, with western red lily, the provincial floral emblem overlapping both parts
1968 - present Flag of Alberta The coat of arms of Alberta on a blue field
1980 - present Flag of Newfoundland and Labrador Blue triangles symbolise the Union Jack, the red triangles symbolise the two parts of the province, and the gold arrow symbolises a "brighter future".

[edit] Territories

Flag Date Use Description
1969 - present Flag of the Northwest Territories A blue field on which is a Canadian pale (a white stripe taking up half the width of the flag), with at the centre, the shield from the Coat of Arms of the Northwest Territories.
1968 - present Flag of Yukon Territory A green, white, and blue tricolour with at the centre, the Coat of Arms of Yukon Territory above a wreath of fireweed, the territorial flower.
1999 - present Flag of Nunavut A yellow and white background with red inukshuk and a blue star, which represents both the Niqirtsuituq, the North Star, and the leadership of elders in the community

[edit] Royal and vice-regal flags

Flag Date Use Description
Royal Standard used by the Queen Elizabeth II in Canada A banner of the Royal Arms of Canada defaced with the Queen's Royal Cypher: a blue disk with the initial "E", crowned, all within a wreath of roses, all gold-coloured
1981 Flag of the Governor General of Canada A crown lion holding a red maple leaf, on a blue field.

[edit] Municipal flags

Flag Date Use Description
November 25, 1974 Flag of Barrie, Ontario
October 3, 1983 Flag of Calgary, Alberta A flag with a C and cowboy hat
unknown Delta, BC A green flag with a golden triangle, and a large golden dot in the middle.
1966 Flag of Edmonton A white square on a blue field (Canadian pale), with the City's Coat of Arms.
unknown Flag of Guelph A Red and white flag, with a horse in the upper left corner, and a crown in the lower left.
1999 Flag of Halifax, Nova Scotia A yellow saltire on a blue field, with two yellow ships in each cross section. It is a state flag, rather than a civil flag: although it can be used on civic buildings, including school buildings, it is not available for use by corporations or individuals.
1939 Flag of Montreal A red cross on a white background with four floral emblems representing the ethnic background of the city: the fleur de lys representing France; a Lancastrian rose for England; a thistle for Scotland; and a shamrock for Ireland.
2000 Flag of Ottawa An "O" design, exhibiting a highly stylised maple leaf, on a blue and green background, representing the rivers and green space in the city
January 12, 1987 Flag of Quebec City A golden yellow ship on a deep blue field surrounded by a crenelated white design representing its unique city walls. The ship is Champlain's ship, the Don de Dieu.
December 9, 2002 Flag of Lévis, QC Black and gold are taken from the city coat of arms, themselves inspired by the arms of François Gaston, Duke of Lévis, who won the battle for Sainte-Foy. Gold represents faith in the future, strength and wealth. Black (or sable) symbolizes steadiness and vigilance. White gives perspective to the whole. The flag's conception reminds one of the regimental colors used by the French in New France.
1999 Flag of Toronto A representation of Toronto City Hall, with a red maple leaf at the base.
1969-1998 Flag of Scarborough, Ontario Approximate representation of the flag of the former City of Scarborough, Ontario
1983 Flag of Vancouver A banner of the Coat of Arms of Vancouver
April 7, 1976 Flag of Winnipeg The city arms on a white roundel placed on a diagonally divided field. The blue represents the city's clear skies and the yellow, the golden wheat fields.
June 27, 2000 Flag of Kingston, Ontario The flag represents one of Kingston's six martello towers. The three antique crowns represent the amalgamation of the Township of Kingston, the City of Kingston, and the Township of Pittsburgh in 1998 to for the new City of Kingston. The antique crown is the traditional symbol for municipal corporations.
Unknown Flag of London, Ontario The flag consists of the "Forest City" tree logo on a white background, with the words "London, Canada" beneath.
1992 Flag of Windsor, Ontario On a blue field, a white line dividing from the lower hoist to the upper fly. At the upper hoist, the city seal bearing the city name and date of founding, surrounding a stylized letter W and a rose. On the lower fly, a rose.

The city seal was replaced in 1992 by a Corporate Seal. The date 1854 stands for the final date in which the railroad to Windsor was completely build and the city was formed by the amalgamation of several other settlements. (source)

unknown Flag of Whitehorse, Yukon, the capital of the Yukon Territory. (Flag source)
unknown Flag of Dawson Creek, British Columbia Mile Zero of the Alaska Highway.
unknown Flag of Chetwynd, British Columbia Contains the town coat of arms.
unknown Flag of Hudson's Hope, British Columbia Contains the town coat of arms.
unknown Flag of Richmond Hill, Ontario The flag contains the town's Coat of Arms. (Flag source)
unknown Flag of Regina, Saskatchewan FLAG: The city's new flag combines the principal colours of the shield and key elements from the coat of arms in a dramatic composition. The blue bar represents the endless prairie sky while the gold symbolizes the fields of grain surrounding Regina which play an important role in the city's economy. The Royal Crown, which also appears in the crest, honours Regina's name, status as capital and royal roots. As in the arms, it is granted to the city as a special honour by Her Majesty the Queen on the recommendation of His Excellency the Governor General. (Source)
unknown Flag of Canora, Saskatchewan Image found from Flags of The World Canora page
2004 Flag of Longueuil, Quebec Flag based on the Coat of Arms of the City of Longueuil, Quebec. This is the official flag design for the City of Longueuil, however it is not used outside of Longueuil's City Hall. The coat of arms are based on the former Coat of Arms of the former city of Longueuil (which is now the Vieux-Longueuil section of the new city), and these arms are based on those of Charles Lemoyne, the Baron of Longueuil.
2002 Banner of Longueuil, Quebec This flag is seen at all municipal offices of the city of Longueuil, and is based on the city logo. Size ratio - 1:2
2004 Flag of Pitt Meadows, British Columbia This flag is seen at the municipal offices of the district of Pitt Meadows, and is based on the city coat of arms. Size ratio - 1:2

[edit] Military flags

Flag Date Use Description
Joint service flag of the Canadian Forces A Canadian White Ensign, defaced with the Joint Service Badge.
Canadian Navy Jack, used by ships bearing the prefix, HMCS A Canadian White Ensign, defaced with the Badge of the Canadian Forces Maritime Command
Flag of the Canadian Forces Land Force Command A Canadian White Ensign defaced with the Badge of the Canadian Forces Land Force Command.
Flag of the Canadian Forces Air Command A Canadian Blue Ensign defaced with the Roundel of the Canadian Forces Air Command.
Flag of the Canadian Navy Board A fouled anchor on a blue-red background.


[edit] Historical flags

[edit] National flags

Flag Date Use Description
1957 Canadian Red Ensign, used as the National Flag of Canada from 1957 until 1965 Red Ensign defaced with the Royal Arms of Canada
1924 Canadian Red Ensign, used as the National Flag of Canada from 1924 until 1957 Red Ensign defaced with the Royal Arms of Canada
1868 Used as the National Flag of Canada from 1868 until 1922 Red Ensign defaced with the arms of the four original provinces of Canada
1801 Canada's de jure flag until 1965, known as the Royal Union Flag The Union Flag, the royal flag of the United Kingdom from 1801

[edit] Vice-regal flags

Flag Date Use Description
1999 - 2002 Flag of the Governor General Modification ordered by the then Governor General of Canada, The Right Honourable Roméo LeBlanc. The tongue and the claws were removed to have a more polite look.
1931 - 1981 Flag of the Governor General A lion standing on a crown, with the name "Canada" below

[edit] Others/Non-Official Flags

See also:
Flag Date Use Description
1840-1931 Newfoundland flag A green, white and pink tricolour
1884 Acadian cultural flag A blue, white and red (French) tricolour with golden star in the blue section
1938 Flag of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (a.k.a. Sagamie) An horizontal bicolor, green over yellow, surmounted by a red-bordered grey cross extending throughout. Green represents the rich forests of the region, yellow its agriculture, grey industry and commerce, and red the vitality of the population.
1965 Proposed Flag for Canada, known as the Pearson Pennant A blue field with a white square containing a three leaf maple
1974 Flag of Labrador A white, green, and blue tricolour with spruce twig in the white section
1975 Flag of the Ontario French-speaking community ("Franco-Ontarian"} Two vertical bands of different colours. The first band is mid green and has a white lily in the middle of the band. The second band is white and has a mid green trillium in the middle of the band.
1976 Flag of the Fransaskois Yellow with a green cross centred towards the upper hoist. A red fleur-de-lis is set in the lower fly.
February 17, 1980 Flag of the Franco-Manitobains White over yellow over red, with the white making up two thirds of the height of the flag. Set towards the hoist is a green plant emblem in four pieces, with top in the white field and stems extending to the bottom.
May of 1981 Flag of the Franco-Columbians Dogwood is the floral emblem of British Columbia. The blue stripes evoke the sea and, where they rise, the mountains. The stylized fleur-de-lis symbolizes the French speaking community and points to the sun represented by the yellow disk.
March 6, 1982 Flag of the Franco-Albertans Blue, white and red, with a white fleur-de-lys in the upper left corner and a red wild rose in the lower right corner. The wild rose, the provincial flower of Alberta, represents the province as does the field of blue in the upper right corner. The white represents la Francophonie, and the blue and white stripes represent the waters and roads travelled throughout the province by Francophone explorers and colonists.
October of 1985 Flag of the Franco-Yukonnais A blue field and three diagonal stripes set from lower hoist to upper fly. The colours of the stripes are white and golden yellow. The effect created by the arrangement of the stripes is meant to represent Yukon's many mountains. Blue is for the French people and the sky. White is for winter and snow. Yellow represents the gold rush and the Franco-Yukonnais contributions to history of the territory.
1986 Flag of the Fédération des Francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador (Franco-Terreneuviens) Three unequal panels of blue, white, and red, with two yellow sails set on the line between the white and red panels. The sail on top is charged with a spruce twig, while the bottom sail is charged with a pitcher flower.
1992 Flag of the Franco-Tenois A polar bear on a snowy hill, looking forward towards a snowflake/Fleur-de-lis combined, representing the French community of the Northwest Territories of Canada.
2002 Flag of the Franco-Nunavois Blue that represents the arctic sky and white recalls the snow, abundantly present on the territory. The principal shape represent an igloo, and under this one, the inukshuk which symbolise the human presence. A single dandelion flower grows from beneath it.
2000 Flag of the Monarchist League of Canada The flag created for the Monarchist League of Canada, as proclaimed by The Niagara Herald Extraordinary, R. Gordon Macpherson.
2005 Flag of Nunatsiavut A white, green and blue Inukshuk
1994 Proposed flag for Canada, known as the Canadian Unity Flag Blue stripes added to the current flag.
Unknown Flag of Vancouver Island This is the old colonial flag of Vancouver island, used informally today.
Unknown Flag of the Iroquois Nation Light Mauve, with a white tree or leaf in the center, and square patterns to the sides
Unknown Flag of the Métis people Blue flag with a white Infinity symbol, also in a Red form

[edit] See also

Topics in Canada 

edit

History Timeline | New France | Canada under British Imperial Control (1764-1867) | Post-Confederation Canada (1867-1914) | Canada in the World Wars and Interwar Years | History of Canada (1945-1960) | History of Canada (1960-1981) | History of Canada (1982-1992) | History of Canada (1992-Present) | Military history | Economic history | Constitutional history
Politics Constitution | The Crown | Governor General | Parliament (Senate - House of Commons) | Prime Minister | Courts (Supreme Court) | Military
Geography Appalachian Mountains | St. Lawrence River | Great Lakes | Canadian Shield | Canadian prairies | Canadian Rockies | Coast Mountains | Western Canada | Central Canada | Atlantic Canada | Northern Canada | Islands | Rivers | Extreme communities | Canadian national parks
Economy Companies | Stock Exchange | Banking | Bank of Canada | Canadian dollar | Taxation | Health care | Transportation | Agriculture
Demographics Languages | Immigration | Religion | 2001 Census | 2006 Census | Top 100 cities
Culture Art | Literature | Theatre | Music | Canadian blues | Sport | Holidays | Cinema | Architecture
Symbols Flags | National Flag | Coat of Arms | Royal symbols | Provincial and territorial
Other Famous Canadians | Fauna of Canada

[edit] External links


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