List of Canadian flags
This is a list of flags used in Canada. The Department of Canadian Heritage lays out protocol guidelines for the display of flags, including an order of precedence; these instructions are only conventional, however, and are generally intended to show respect for what are considered important symbols of the state or institutions.[1] The Queen's personal standard is supreme in the order of precedence, followed by those for the monarch's representatives (depending on jurisdiction), the personal flags of other members of the Royal Family,[2] and then the national flag and provincial flags.
Royal
Flag | Date | Name | Description |
| 1962–present | Royal Standard of Canada | A banner of the Royal Arms of Canada defaced with a royal cypher of Queen Elizabeth II |
| 2011–present | Royal Standard of the Prince of Wales | A banner of the Royal Arms of Canada defaced with the Prince of Wales's feathers and a 3-point label. |
| 2011–present | Royal Standard of the Duke of Cambridge | A banner of the Royal Arms of Canada defaced with the royal cypher of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and a 3-point label with one red scallop, representing the coat of arms of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. |
| 2013–present | Royal Standard of the Princess Royal | A banner of the Royal Arms of Canada defaced with the royal cypher of the Princess Anne, Princess Royal, and a 3-point label with one heart in the centre, and the other two, Saint-George's crosses. |
| 2014–present | Royal standard of the Duke of York | A banner of the Royal Arms of Canada defaced with the royal cypher of the Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and a 3-point label with an anchor in the centre and the other two, blank. |
| 2014–present | Royal standard of the Earl of Wessex | A banner of the Royal Arms of Canada defaced with the royal cypher of the His Royal Highness the Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and a 3-point label with a Tudor Rose in the centre and the other two, blank. |
Viceregal and administrative
Governor general
Lieutenant governors
Flag | Date | Name | Description |
| 1981–present | Standard of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario | A blue field with the shield of the coat of arms of Ontario, ensigned with a St. Edward's Crown and surrounded a wreath of by ten golden maple leaves, charged in the centre |
| 1950–present | Standard of the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec | A blue field with the shield of the coat of arms of Quebec, ensigned with a Tudor Crown and within a white disc, charged in the centre |
| 1929–present | Standard of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia | The Royal Union Flag defaced with the shield of the coat of arms of Nova Scotia on a white disc and surrounded by a chain of green maple leaves |
| 1982–present | Standard of the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick | A blue field with the shield of the coat of arms of New Brunswick, ensigned with a St. Edward's Crown and surrounded by a wreath of ten golden maple leaves, charged in the centre |
| 1984–present | Standard of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba | A blue field with the shield of the coat of arms of Manitoba, ensigned with a St. Edward's Crown and surrounded by a wreath of ten golden maple leaves, charged in the centre |
| 1982–present | Standard of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia | A blue field with the shield of the coat of arms of British Columbia, ensigned with a St. Edward's Crown and surrounded by a wreath of ten golden maple leaves, charged in the centre |
| 1981–present | Standard of the Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island | A blue field with the shield of the coat of arms of Prince Edward Island, ensigned with a St. Edward's Crown and surrounded by a wreath of ten golden maple leaves, charged in the centre |
| 1981–present | Standard of the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan | A blue field with the shield of the coat of arms of Saskatchewan, ensigned with a St. Edward's Crown and surrounded by a wreath of ten golden maple leaves, charged in the centre |
| 1981–present | Standard of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta | A blue field with the shield of the coat of arms of Alberta, ensigned with a St. Edward's Crown and surrounded by a wreath of ten golden maple leaves, charged in the centre |
| 1987–present | Standard of the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador | A blue field with the shield of the coat of arms of Newfoundland and Labrador, ensigned with a St. Edward's Crown and surrounded by a wreath of ten golden maple leaves, charged in the centre |
Commissioners
Flag | Date | Name | Description |
| 2007–present | Standard of the Commissioner of Northwest Territories | A blue field with the shield of the Coat of arms of the Northwest Territories, surrounded by a wreath of six gold maple leaves and two flowers, charged in the centre |
| 2006–present | Standard of the Commissioner of Yukon | A blue field with the shield of the coat of arms of Yukon, surrounded by a wreath of six gold maple leaves and two flowers, charged in the centre |
| 2009–present | Standard of the Commissioner of Nunavut | A blue field with the shield of the coat of arms of Nunavut, surrounded by a wreath of six gold maple leaves and two flowers, charged in the centre |
Civil and state
National
Ceremonial
Provincial
Territorial
Regional (unofficial)
Flag | Date | Name | Description |
| 1843–present | Newfoundland Tricolour | A field tierced per pale, green, white, and pink |
| 1884–present | Flag of Acadia | A field tierced per pale, blue, white, and red, with a gold star in the upper hoist. Common in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. |
| 1938–present | Flag of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean | A field party per fess, green and yellow, with a red-bordered grey ordinary cross; green represents the region's forests, yellow its agriculture, grey its industry and commerce, and red the vitality of the population |
| 1974–present | Flag of Labrador | A field party per fess, white and azure, with a green horizontal band across the centre and a spruce twig in the upper hoist |
| 1988 | Flag of Vancouver Island | A Blue Ensign defaced with the great seal of the Colony of Vancouver Island. Used informally today.[3] This unofficial flag was designed in the 1980s to retroactively represent the colony (1849–1866). In 1865 permission was given from the Crown to colonies to place their badges on the fly of the Blue Ensign and as such could be argued by vexillologists that this could be an official flag.[4] |
| 1988-present | Flag of Western Canada | Originally used by the Western Independence Party, it was created in 1988 ahead of the party's first election. |
| 1994–present | Flag of Cascadia | A proposed nation that would consist mainly of British Columbia as well as the American states Washington and Oregon. The blue represents the sky, Pacific Ocean, Salish Sea and inland waters, the white represents snow and clouds and the green to represent the evergreen forests and fields. The tree is a Douglas-fir, which symbolizes endurance, defiance and resilience. |
| 1832–present | Patriote flag (republic of Québec) | The proposed flag of Republic of Lower Canada in 1838-1838, still used nowadays by some separatists, in mostly 4 variants : the original and three versions with the yellow star in the top left corner. Of which, two of them have Henri Julien's Patriot painting of 1904, one in colour and the other stylised in black and white. |
Military, police, coast guard and border services
Canada Border Services Agency
Canadian Armed Forces
Flag | Date | Name | Description |
| 1968–present | Flag of the Canadian Forces | A white field with the National Flag of Canada in the canton and the Canadian Forces badge charged in the fly |
| 1968–present | Canadian Naval Ensign | A white field with the National Flag of Canada in the canton and the Royal Canadian Navy badge in blue charged in the fly |
| 1968–present | Canadian Forces Auxiliary Jack | A blue field with the National Flag of Canada in the canton and the Royal Canadian Navy badge in white charged in the fly |
| 2014–present | Flag of the Canadian Army | A white field with the National Flag of Canada in the canton and the Canadian Army badge charged in the fly |
| 1965–present | Royal Canadian Air Force Ensign | A field of air force blue with the National Flag of Canada in the canton and the Royal Canadian Air Force roundel charged in the fly |
| c. 1964–present | Flag of the Canadian Navy Board | A field party per bend, blue and sanguine, with a fouled anchor in gold charged in the centre |
| 1920–present | Flag of the Royal Military College of Canada | A field tierced per pale, red, white, and red with the badge of the Royal Military College of Canada charged in the centre |
| Unknown-present | Flag of the Royal Military College Saint-Jean | A field tierced per pale, blue, white, and blue with the badge of the Royal Military College Saint-Jean charged in the centre |
| 2000–present | Banner of the Commander-in-Chief Unit Commendation | A field tierced per pale, blue, red, and azure, with the crest of the Royal Arms of Canada charged in the centre |
Coast Guard
Flag | Date | Name | Description |
| 1962–present | Flag of the Canadian Coast Guard | A banner of the arms of the Canadian Coast Guard: vertical diband of white and blue, a red maple leaf emlem charged in the hoist and a pair of fish in gold and facing opposite directions charged in the fly |
Police
Flag | Date | Name | Description |
| 2005–present | Flag of the Sûreté du Québec | A green field, on a Canadian Pale Yellow charged with the badge of the Sûreté du Québec |
Municipal
Flag | Date | Name | Description |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Barrie | |
| 1999–present | Flag of Burlington | A vertical bicolour triband of blue, yellow, blue with the shield of the coat of arms of Burlington charged in the Canadian pale |
| 1983–present | Flag of Calgary | A red field with white border at top and bottom, a combined 'C' and cowboy hat emblem in the hoist |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Charlottetown | |
| 1995–present | Flag of Cornwall | A vertical bicolour triband of gold, black, gold with the shield of the coat of arms of the Duke of Cornwall charged in the Canadian pale |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Delta | |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Dollard-Des Ormeaux | |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Fernie | |
| Unknown 2000 | Flag of Gloucester | |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Guelph | |
| 2003–present | Flag of Hamilton | A vertical bicolour triband of gold, blue, gold with a cinquefoil surrounded by a chain, all gold, charged in the Canadian pale |
| Unknown–present | Flag of Laval | |
| 1967–present | Flag of Lethbridge | Red and white striped, with blue and white pattern in top left corner. |
| 2002–present | Flag of Lévis | A black and gold field with a white cross. |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Longueuil | |
| Unknown-present | Flag of La Matapédia Regional County Municipality | Three colours flag (blue, green and white) showing mountains, a tree and a salmon. |
| 1954–1997 | Flag of Metro Toronto | A horizontal bi-colour band of green and blue with a white ringed symbol from the seal of Metro Toronto; the six rings represented Metro Toronto's six constituent lower-tier municipalities: Etobicoke, York, North York, East York, Scarborough and the former city of Toronto |
| 1939–present | Flag of Montreal | A white field with a red ordinary cross, a blue fleur-de-lis, a Lancastrian rose, a thistle, and a shamrock, all proper, in each quadrant |
| Unknown-present | Flag of North Cowichan | |
| 1902–1987 | Flag of Ottawa | |
| 1987-2000 | Flag of Ottawa | |
| 2000–present | Flag of Ottawa | A field party per pale enarched, blue and azure, with a stylised 'O' emblem charged in the centre |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Peterborough | |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Prince George | |
| 1987–present | Flag of Quebec City | The ship represents Samuel de Champlain's Don de Dieu and the background the city walls |
| 1992–present | Flag of Regina | |
| 1969–present | Flag of Scarborough | |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Saint-Damien | |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Saint-Éphrem-de-Beauce | |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Shawinigan | |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Sudbury | |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Summerside | |
| 1999–present | Flag of Toronto | A blue field with a white styleised city hall and maple leaf emblem |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Thunder Bay | |
| Unknown-present | Flag of Trois-Rivières | |
| 1983–present | Flag of Vancouver | The axe and paddle stand for the traditional industries, logging and fishing, and the green background is a symbol of the forests |
| 1975–present | Flag of Winnipeg | The blue represents Winnipeg's clear blue sky, and the gold a field of wheat surrounding the city's coat of arms |
Crown corporations
Flag | Date | Name | Description |
| Unknown | Flag of the Royal Canadian Mint | A red field with the logo of the Royal Canadian Mint charged in the centre; logo was first introduced in 1978 |
Indigenous nations
Flag | Date | Name | Description |
| Pre-1816–present | Flag of the Métis Nation of Canada | A blue field with a white symbol of infinity charged in the centre |
| Pre-1816–present | Flag of the Métis Nation of Alberta | A red field with a white symbol of infinity charged in the centre |
| 1980s-present | Flag of the Iroquois Confederacy | A mauve field party per fess by a band of white squares joined and a stylized white "Tree of Peace" charged in the centre; design is adapted from the Hiawatha wampum belt, each element represents an original nation in the confederacy |
| Mid-1980s-present | Flag of the Natuaqanek Band | A red field with yellow left and right borders, a quartered roundel charged in the centre[5] |
| 2001–present | Flag of the Nisga'a | A vertical tricolour triband of black, white, and sanguine with the badge of the Nisga'a Nation,[6] surrounded by black and sanguine ovals, charged in the Canadian pale[7] |
| 2005–present | Flag of Nunatsiavut | A white field with a white, green, and blue Inukshuk charged in the centre |
| Unknown–present | Flag of the Haida Nation | A red field with an eagle and raven headed bird, surrounded by a circlet, charged in the centre |
| Unknown-present | Flag of the Matimekush Band | A vertical tricolour triband of chartreuse, white, green with the coat of arms of the Matimekush Lac John Band charged in the Canadian pale |
| Unknown–present | Flag of the Mi'kmaq Nation Grand Council | A white field with a red Nordic cross and a red star and moon in the left quadrants; white denotes purity of creation, the red cross represents mankind and infinity, the sun and moon the forces of day and night[5] |
Francophone peoples
Flag | Date | Name | Description |
| 1975–present | Flag of the Franco-Ontarians | A field party per fess, green and white, with a white fleur-de-lys charged in the hoist and a green trillium emblem charged in the fly |
| 1976–present | Flag of the Fransaskois | A yellow field with a green Nordic cross centred towards the upper hoist and a red fleur-de-lis charged in the lower fly |
| 1980–present | Flag of the Franco-Manitobains | A white field with yellow over sanguine bars with a green plant emblem in four pieces charged in the hoist |
| 1981–present | Flag of the Franco-Columbians | A white field party per pale by a bar gemelles and dancetty, a fleur-de-lys and Pacific Dogwood emblem charged in the fly; Dogwood is the floral emblem of British Columbia, the blue stripes evoke the Pacific Ocean and the rising mountains beside, the yellow centre of the Dogwood flower represents the sun |
| 1982–present | Flag of the Franco-Albertans | A field party per bend sinister, blue and white, by a bend cotised white and blue with a white fleur-de-lys in the upper hoist and a red wild rose in the lower fly |
| 1985–present | 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–present | 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–present | Flag of the Franco-Ténois | 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–present | 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. |
Historical flags
National flags
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
| 1957–1965 | Canadian Red Ensign, used as the de facto National Flag of Canada; unofficial. | Red Ensign defaced with the Royal Arms of Canada. The maple leaves at the bottom of the shield are red. |
| 1922–1957 | Canadian Red Ensign, used as the de facto National Flag of Canada; unofficial. | Red Ensign defaced with the Royal Arms of Canada. The maple leaves at the bottom of the shield are green. |
| 1868–1922 | Used as the de facto National Flag of Canada; unofficial. | Red Ensign defaced with the arms of the four original provinces of Canada |
| 1801–1965 | Canada's de jure flag until 1965 (when the current national was adopted), known as the Royal Union Flag | The Union Flag, the royal flag of the United Kingdom in use since 1801 |
| 1763–1801 | Flag hoisted in most military installations in Quebec and later for both Upper Canada and Lower Canada | Flag used for the Province of Quebec from 1763 to 1791. |
| 1789–1830 | Flag used in presence of the French Royal family as of 1789. | Flag used after restoration of the Monarchy in France from 1814-1830. |
| 1715–1789 | Flag of the Kingdom of France used since Louis XIV. | Flag used along with the flags of French regiments. |
| 1663–1715 | Flag of New France? Standard of King Louis XIV. | Flag seen in New France prior to the flag of the Kingdom of France. |
| 1638-1790 | Naval flag of the Kingdom of France | Flag used on French war ships. |
| 1689-1790 | Merchant marine flag on French ships from 1689 to 1790. | Flag used on French merchant ships. |
| 1600-1689 | Merchant marine flag on French ships from 1600 to 1689. | Flag on Samuel de Champlain's ship. |
| 1348-1707 | Flag of the Kingdom of England | Flag on John Cabot's ship, and used during the English colonization of the Americas before the Act of Union. |
| 1286-1707 | Flag of the Kingdom of Scotland | Flag used during the Scottish colonization of the Americas before the Act of Union. |
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. Replaced by previous flag |
| 1952–1981 | Flag of the Governor General | A lion standing on a St. Edward's crown, with the name "Canada" below; replaced 1931 flag |
| 1931–1952 | Flag of the Governor General | A lion standing on an Imperial/Tudor crown, with the name "Canada" below; replaced by 1952 flag |
| 1959–1965 | Flag of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario[8] | Reverted to a Union Jack with provincial badge 1965–1981 |
Military flags
Others/Non-official flags
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
| 1946 | Proposed Flag for Canada | A red British ensign defaced with a large golden maple leaf outlined in white in the fly. |
| 1965 | Canadian flag proposal by the Native Sons of Canada | |
| 1965 | Proposed Flag for Canada, known as the Pearson Pennant | A blue field with a white square containing a three-leaf maple. The blue sides were meant to represent John A. Macdonald's description of the Canadian Pacific Railway and Canada's geography, "From sea to sea". |
| 1994 | Proposed flag for Canada, known as the Canadian Unity Flag | Blue vertical stripes replacing part of the red bands, in approximate proportion to population of French heritage. |
University flags
Organizational flags
Corporate flags
A number of private corporations also use their own flags, but they are often used alongside the Maple Leaf.
A list of corporations with corporate flags:
See also
References
External links
Links to related articles |
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| Names in italics indicate non-sovereign (dependent) territories and/or former countries. |
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