Flags Flashcards
The flag of the United Nations was adopted on October 20, 1947, and consists of the official emblem of the United Nations in white on a blue background. The emblem’s design is described as: A map of the world representing an azimuthal equidistant projection centred on the North Pole, inscribed in a wreath consisting of crossed conventionalized branches of the olive tree, . . . The projection of the map extends to 60 degrees south latitude, and includes five concentric circles.
The National Flag of Canada also known as the Maple Leaf and l’Unifolié (French for “the one-leafed”), is a flag consisting of a red field with a white square at its centre, in the middle of which is featured a stylized, 11-pointed, red maple leaf. Adopted in 1965 to replace the Union Flag, it is the first ever specified by statute law for use as the country’s national flag. The Canadian Red Ensign had been unofficially used since the 1890s and was approved by a 1945 Order in Council for use “wherever place or occasion may make it desirable to fly a distinctive Canadian flag”.
In 1968, the Alberta government authorized the design of an official flag. On 1 June 1968, the flag of Alberta, Canada, was adopted. The flag has the proportions 1:2, with the provincial shield of arms in the centre of a royal ultramarine blue background. The shield’s height is 7⁄11 that of the flag’s height. The provincial colours, adopted in 1984, are blue and gold (deep yellow); they are also referred to as “Alberta blue” and “Alberta gold”, appearing on the flag/shield in the sky/background and wheat background, respectively.
The flag of British Columbia is based upon the shield of the provincial arms of British Columbia. At the top of the flag is a rendition of the Royal Union Flag, defaced in the centre by a crown, and with a setting sun below, representing the province’s location at the western end of Canada.
The flag of Manitoba is a variation of the Red Ensign which bears the shield of the provincial coat of arms. This flag was approved by the passage of a bill in the Manitoba Legislative Assembly on May 11, 1965. Queen Elizabeth II having given permission for the use of the Union device in October 1965, it was officially proclaimed on 12 May 1966. The decision to adopt the flag was made after the federal government decided to replace the Canadian Red Ensign with the Maple Leaf flag.
The flag of New Brunswick, Canada, is a banner modelled after the province’s coat of arms and was adopted by proclamation on February 24, 1965. The flag has the proportions 8:5. A gold lion on the red field across the top one-third of the flag represents New Brunswick’s ties to both the Brunswick region in Germany and (the arms of) the Monarch of Canada. The lower two-thirds of the flag depicts a Scottish Lymphad, the traditional representation of a ship in heraldry. It represents shipbuilding, one of the province’s main industries at the time the coat of arms was adopted and throughout much of the province’s history..
The flag of Newfoundland and Labrador was introduced in 1980, and was designed by Newfoundland artist Christopher Pratt. The flag design, with the proportions 2:1, was approved by the House of Assembly of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, on May 28, 1980. It was flown for the first time on Discovery Day; June 24, 1980. The design was chosen due to its broad symbolism. The blue colour represents the sea, the white colour represents snow and ice of winter, the red colour represents the effort and struggle of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and the gold colour symbolizes the confidence Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have in themselves and for the future. The blue triangles are meant as a tribute to the Union Jack, and stand for the British heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador. The two red triangles are meant to represent the two areas of the province—the mainland and the island. The gold arrow, according to Pratt, points towards a “brighter future”; the arrow becomes a sword, honouring the sacrifices of Newfoundlanders in military service when the flag is draped as a vertical banner. The red triangles and the gold arrow form a trident, symbolizing the province’s dependence on its fisheries and the resources of the sea.
The flag of Nova Scotia, created in 1858,is a banner of the coat of arms of Nova Scotia, which were granted to the Scottish colony by Charles I, in 1625.
The flag of the modern Canadian province, a blue saltire on a white field (background), is a simple figure-ground reversal of the flag of Scotland
(a white saltire, Saint Andrew’s cross, on a blue field, charged with an inescutcheon bearing the royal arms of Scotland, a gold shield with a red lion
rampant surrounded by a royal double tressure (a double border decorated with fleurs de lis).
The royal arms do not appear on Scotland’s flag - they were added to Nova Scotia’s to distinguish the flag from the Naval Ensign of Russia which is also
a blue saltire on a white field. The similarity to the Scottish flag reflects the province’s name, which is Latin for “New Scotland”. Nova Scotia was one
of the few British colonies to be granted its own Coat of Arms, and the flag is the only one of the original Canadian provinces dating back to before
confederation. Despite continuous usage of the flag to represent Nova Scotia since 1858, the flag was only recognized by the Provincial government of
Nova Scotia as the official provincial flag in May 2013, through the Provincial Flag Act (Bill 82), after an eleven-year old girl researching a project
realized that no one had recognized the flag officially in 155 years of usage.
The flag of Ontario was enacted by the Flag Act on May 21, 1965 in the Legislature of the Province of Ontario.The flag is a defaced Red Ensign, with the Union Flag in the canton and the Ontario shield of arms in the fly. Before 1965, the Canadian Red Ensign had served as the national flag of Canada. It was flown at all military installations in Canada and overseas, outside the legislature and government buildings, at Royal Canadian Legion halls, and many private homes. In 1964, the federal government, after a long and acrimonious debate, replaced the Red Ensign with the current flag of Canada. This decision was unpopular among millions of Canadians. These included many Ontarians, particularly in rural areas that made up much of the political base of Premier John Robarts’ Ontario Progressive Conservatives.
The flag of Prince Edward Island, Canada, is a banner modelled after the provincial arms. The flag has the proportions 2:3; the three sides away from the mast are bordered by alternating bands of red and white. The upper third of the flag features the English heraldic lion which appeared both on the coat of arms of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, for whom the province is named, and on that of King Edward VII. The lower two-thirds show an island on which appear three small oak saplings (on the left) – representing the three counties of PEI (Prince, Queens, and Kings) – under the protection of a great oak tree which represents Great Britain. This symbolism is also reflected in the provincial motto, Parva sub ingenti (the small under the protection of the great). The flag was adopted March 24, 1964.
The flag of Quebec, called the Fleurdelisé, was adopted for the province by the government of Quebec, during the administration of Maurice Duplessis. It was the first provincial flag officially adopted in Canada, first shown on January 21, 1948, at the Parliament Building of the National Assembly in Quebec City. Quebec’s Flag Day (January 21) commemorates its adoption each year, though for some time it was celebrated in May. At least one parade marked the flag’s 60th anniversary in January 2008.
The flag of Saskatchewan features the armorial bearings (coat of arms) in the upper quarter nearest the staff, with the floral emblem, the western red lily, in the fly. The upper green half of the flag represents the northern Saskatchewan forest lands, while the gold lower half symbolizes the southern, prairie wheat-fields. The flag is constructed in the proportions 1:2.
The current flag of the Northwest Territories, Canada, was adopted in 1969 by the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. Ordinance of the Territorial Council assented to January 1, 1969.
The blue panels at either end of the flag represent the lakes and waters of the Territories. The white centre panel symbolizes the ice and snow of the North, and contains the shield from the arms of the Territories. There was a nationwide competition in 1968 to design the territorial flag; the winner was Robert Bessant of Margaret, Manitoba.
Granted by Governor General Roméo LeBlanc April 1, 1999
In the Inuit language of Inuktitut, Nunavut means “Our Land”. It is the name given to the ancestral home of the Inuit of the central and eastern Arctic, and to the soon-to-be created Territory of Nunavut in Canada’s Eastern Arctic.
Though the creation of the Territory of Nunavut is a new chapter in Canada’s confederation, the story of Nunavut and the Inuit who make their lives there is an ancient one, going back over thousands of years of continuous habitation.
The creation of the Territory of Nunavut and the finalization of the historic land claim settlement, between the Nunavut Inuit and the Government of Canada, adds a new dimension to the evolving history of both Nunavut and Canada.
In 1993, legislation was passed to establish a new northern territory called Nunavut, which will consist of the eastern part of the present Northwest Territories. Nunavut will come into being on or before April 1, 1999.
The Nunavut Implementation Committee has announced that a flag for the territory has been chosen and approved by HM the Queen. The design will be kept secret until the day the new territory is created.
In a related move the Northwest Territories’ government has announced that it is to have a new flag to mark the change in its borders.
The Yukon flag Adopted:
Ordinance of the Territorial Council assented to December 1, 1967
The flag consists of three vertical panels. The green panel on the staff side symbolizes the green taiga forests, the white in the centre, the winter snows, and the blue on the fly represents the deep blue of the northern waters. The centre panel also features the floral emblem, the Fireweed and the Arms of Yukon. The flag was designed by Lynn Lambert, a Haines junction student, who won the flag-designing competition during Canada’s centennial year.
The current flag of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, was adopted on October 1, 1975. In the centre lies the city crest, with blue to the upper left, and yellow to the lower right. The blue represents Winnipeg’s clear blue sky, and the gold a field of wheat, the city’s original primary economic activity. The blue and yellow design was adopted as the official colours for the city’s centennial celebrations in 1974. Its proportion is 1:2.
