List of Canadian flags

The flags of Vancouver, Canada, and British Columbia; the Canadian flag takes place of precedence in the centre

The Canadian national flag flying next to a statue of Terry Fox

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. 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, 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 Prince Charles	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 Prince William	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

Viceregal and administrative

Governor general

Flag	Date	Name	Description
	1981–1999 2002–present	Standard of the Governor General of Canada	A blue field with the crest of the Royal Arms of Canada charged in the centre

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
	Unknown–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
	Unknown–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

Federal

Flag	Date	Name	Description
	1965–present	National Flag of Canada (Maple Leaf Flag, l'Unifolié)	A vertical bicolour triband of red, white, red with a red maple leaf emblem charged in the Canadian pale

Provincial

Flag	Date	Name	Description
	1965–present	Flag of Ontario	A red field with the Royal Union Flag in the canton and the shield of the coat of arms of Ontario charged in the fly
	1948–present	Flag of Quebec (The Fleurdelisé)	A blue field with an ordinary white cross and a white fleur-de-lis in each quadrant
	1858–present	Flag of Nova Scotia	A banner of the coat of arms of Nova Scotia
	1965–present	Flag of New Brunswick	A banner of the coat of arms of New Brunswick
	1965–present	Flag of Manitoba	A red field with the Royal Union Flag in the canton and the shield of the coat of arms of Manitoba charged in the fly
	1960–present	Flag of British Columbia	A banner of the coat of arms of British Columbia
	1964–present	Flag of Prince Edward Island	A banner of the coat of arms of Prince Edward Island within a bordure compony of red and white
	1969–present	Flag of Saskatchewan	A field party per fess, green and yellow, with the shield of the coat of arms of Saskatchewan in the canton and western red lily emblem charged in the fly
	1968–present	Flag of Alberta	A blue field with the shield of the coat of arms of Alberta charged in the centre
	1980–present	Flag of Newfoundland and Labrador	A blue and white field party per pale (at nombril point) with a white border, white ordinary cross and white saltire, two triangular divisions in the fly lined in red, a golden arrow between

Territorial

Flag	Date	Name	Description
	1969–present	Flag of the Northwest Territories	A vertical bicolour triband of blue, white, blue with the shield of the coat of arms of the Northwest Territories charged in the Canadian pale
	1968–present	Flag of Yukon	A vertical tricolour triband of green, white, blue with the shield of the coat of arms of Yukon above a wreath of fireweed charged in the Canadian pale
	1999–present	Flag of Nunavut	A field party per pale, yellow and white, with a red inukshuk charged in the centre and a blue star in the upper fly

Ceremonial

Flag	Date	Name	Description
	1964–present	Royal Union Flag	The Cross of St. Andrew counterchanged with the Cross of St. Patrick and over all the Cross of St. George

Regional (unofficial)

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

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
	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

Military and police

Canadian Forces

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

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 Forces Naval Jack	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
	1968–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	Flag of the Royal Canadian Air Force	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
	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

Municipal

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Flag	Date	Name	Description
	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
	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
	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
	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
	1987–present	Flag of Quebec City	The ship represents Samuel de Champlain's Don de Dieu (ship) and the background the city walls
	1992–present	Flag of Regina, Saskatchewan
	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
	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
	1999–present	Flag of Toronto	A blue field with a white styleised city hall and maple leaf emblem
	2000–present	Flag of Ottawa	A field party per pale enarched, blue and azure, with a stylised 'O' emblem charged in the centre
	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
	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
	1967–present	Flag of Lethbridge	Red and white striped, with blue and white pattern in top left corner.

Crown corporations

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

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

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

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
	2001–present	Flag of the Nisga'a	A vertical tricolour triband of black, white, and sanguine with the badge of the Nisga'a Nation, surrounded by black and sanguine ovals, charged in the Canadian pale
	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

Francophone peoples

See also: Flags of French-speaking people of North America

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

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

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
	1715–1763	Used in New France; Standard of the royal family of France until 1789
	1663–1715	Used in New France? Standard of King Louis XIV

Vice-regal flags

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

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	Reverted to a Union Jack with provincial badge 1965–1981

Military flags

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	RCN- 1911-1965 RCSCC- 1905-1965	Used as the ensign of both the Royal Canadian Navy and used by the some Royal Canadian Sea Cadets squadrons. Generally used throughout the entire British Empire by the British Navy and still lingered on even after many commonwealths became independent and gained their own Navies.	White Ensign, St George's Cross with the Union Flag in the canton.
	RCN- 1921–1957 RCSCC- 1929-1953	The Blue Ensign, worn as a jack by the Royal Canadian Navy and used by the RCSCC	Blue Ensign defaced with the Royal Arms of Canada. The maple leaves at the bottom of the shield are green.
	1957–1965	Final version of the Blue Ensign, worn as a jack by the Royal Canadian Navy	Blue Ensign defaced with the Royal Arms of Canada. The maple leaves at the bottom of the shield are red.
	1941–1965	Based Royal Air Force Ensign, as used by the Royal Canadian Air Force	A field of air force blue with the Union Flag in the canton and the Canadian roundel in the middle of the fly.
	−1965	Based King's Colour, as used by the Royal Military College of Canada	King's Colour of the Royal Military College of Canada with the Union Flag.

Others/Non-official flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	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".
	1988	Flag of Vancouver Island	A Blue Ensign defaced with the great seal of the Colony of Vancouver Island. Used informally today. 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 vexicologists that this could be an official flag.
	1994	Proposed flag for Canada, known as the Canadian Unity Flag	Blue stripes added to the current flag.

University flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1884	Queen's University

Corporate flags

A number of private corporations also use their own flags, but they are often used along side the Maple Leaf.

A list of corporations with corporate flags:

• CIBC
• Sheraton Hotels
• RBC
• Toronto Maple Leafs
• HBC

See also

• Canadian royal symbols
• Flags of the Lieutenant Governors of Canada
• List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols

External links

• World Flag Database
• Canadian Government Homepage- The National Flag of Canada
• Fransaskois on Flags of The World
• Franco-Manitobains on Flags of The World
• Franco-Columbians on Flags of The World
• Franco-Yukonnais on Flags of The World
• Monarchist League of Canada on Flags of The World
• Franco-Albertans on Flags of The World
• Franco-Nunavois on Flags of The World
• Flags used in 1837-39 in Lower Canada