Oh, Canada! Our home and native land, we love thee so. Canada has ten provinces and three territories, all of which are home to unique people, places and wildlife. With two national languages, English and French, we pride ourselves on diversity, welcoming people from all walks of life.
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If you’re looking for a way to show off your pride in your province or catalogue the gorgeous provinces you visited on your road trip this year, E-Patches & Crests has a colourful selection of provincial emblems just for you!
If you're looking for a big badge with every shield on it, try our Provincial Shields badge.
British Columbia has a long stretch of Pacific coastline with rolling mountains and dense forests. Its beautiful scenery and crisp seaside air will make you realize how big the world really is as you walk along the coast. The province's designated flower is the Pacific dogwood and has been since . British Columbia's Coat of Arms features a crowned lion atop the royal crown, framed by a wapiti stag and bighorn sheep. These two animals represent the union of the Vancouver Island colony and British Columbia colony in .
British Columbia's motto is "Splendor sine occasu," Latin for “Splendour without diminishment.”
Sharing a border with British Columbia, Alberta shares the Rocky Mountains. In addition to its rich mountainous landscape, Alberta also has badlands, coniferous forests and vast prairies. Alberta is one of the best provinces for farming, although it’s most known for the Calgary Stampede. Alberta’s floral emblem is the wild rose since . Alberta's Coat of Arms reflects its natural geography of wheat fields and snow-capped mountains. A beaver wears the crown as the fur trade was the first major economy in Alberta. The royal lion and pronghorn antelope native to Alberta support the arms on either side.
Alberta's motto is "Fortis et liber" is Latin for “Strong and free.”
Saskatchewan is primarily grassland which makes it perfect for farming. While it does contain part of the Canadian Shield plateau, Saskatchewan is mostly flat. It is also home to coniferous forests, rivers and lakes. As of , Saskatchewan’s provincial flower is a Western red lily. Saskatchewan's Coat of Arms focuses on its wheat production, featuring a royal lion and white-tailed deer on either side of the crest.
Saskatchewan's motto is "Multis e gentibus vires," Latin for “From many peoples, strength."
Manitoba has rivers, lakes, forests, mountains and prairies stretching from the northern Arctic tundra to Hudson Bay. This province has four main languages: English, Cree, Ojibwe (Anishinaabe), and French. Since , Manitoba's floral emblem has been a prairie crocus. Manitoba's Coat of Arms represents the Aboriginal people with a Buffalo, and has a Unicorn for early Scottish settlers and a horse, which was vital for settlers and First Nations peoples.
Manitoba's motto is derived from "O Canada": "Gloriosus et liber," Latin for “Glorious and free.”
Next to Manitoba is Ontario, which holds the capital of Canada, Ottawa. Ottawa is known for Parliament Hill, home to Canada’s federal government. Ontario borders the Great Lakes and is home to boreal forests. Our Ontario provincial flower patch features the white trilliums, the floral emblem since . Ontario's Coat of Arms features a black bear, which is found throughout the province, a moose and white-tailed deer (which are provincial animals), and a maple emblem.
Ontario's Motto is "Ut incepit fidelis sic permanent," Latin for “Loyal it began, loyal it remains.”
Québec is the only province in Canada whose official language is French. Home to tundras, taigas, deciduous forests and the St. Laurence River, this is the largest of Canada’s ten provinces. Since , the Québec's flower of choice has been the blue flag iris. Québec's Coat of Arms features a royal crown for the monarchy, the three gold fleurs-de-lis on blue (which was on the royal arms of France), and the lion from England.
Québec's motto is "Je me souviens," French for “I remember."
New Brunswick is one of the four Atlantic provinces. Did you know this is the only province where both English and French are the official languages? It is known for its lobsters, untouched wilderness, and pristine beaches. New Brunswick's floral emblem has been the purple violet since . To pay homage to the shipping industry, New Brunswick's Coat of Arms features a salmon and a sailing ship. It also includes two white-tailed deer wearing a belt of Maliseet wampum honouring the Maliseet people.
New Brunswick's motto is "Spem reduxit," Latin for “Hope was restored.”
Also famous for its lobsters is Nova Scotia. Another one of the four Atlantic provinces, Nova Scotia, is home to Acadian forests and lush river valleys. If you love the beach, this is the place to be! Nova Scotia’s provincial flower is a mayflower, ever since . Nova Scotia's Coat of Arms features two hands shaking with a laurel and thistle to represent the people of Scotland and Nova Scotia (New Scotland). A unicorn and an Aboriginal person stand on either side of the emblem.
Nova Scotia's motto is "Munit haec et altera vincit," Latin for “This one defends and the other conquers.”
Prince Edward Island is renowned for its seafood. If you love lobsters and muscles, this is the place to be! With red-sand beaches, fertile farmland and boreal forests, Prince Edward Island is utterly gorgeous. Our PEI provincial flower patch contains the lady slipper, the floral emblem adopted in . PEI's Coat of Arms features a blue jay with a red oak leaf in its beak, symbolizing Prince Edward Island's official tree. The two supporters are silver foxes to emphasize the importance of the fur industry in PEI.
PEI's motto is "Parva sub ingenti" Latin for “The small under the protection of the great.”
The Yukon is one of the three territories of Canada. It’s home to Mount Logan, Canada’s highest peak, as well as many glaciers, the porcupine caribou, and vast swaths of uncharted wilderness. Since , the fireweed has been this territory's official flower, decorating its landscape with splashes of brilliant colour. Yukon's Coat of Arms features a husky standing proudly at the top, representing the use of sled dogs used for years as transportation.
The Northwest Territories is one of Canada’s three territories. It is filled with forests, mountains, arctic tundra, and the Canadian Arctic archipelago, making it by far the hardest part of Canada to colour in school. The mountain avens has been the Northwest Territories' official flower since . Framed by two narwhals, the Northwest Territories' Coat of Arms pays homage to its natural landscape and native animals, such as the Arctic fox.
Nunavut is one of Canada’s three territories. Forming most of Canada’s arctic archipelago, it’s equally as hard to colour in as the Northwest Territories. Filled with craggy mountains and expansive tundras, Nunavut is largely populated by the Inuit people, a group indigenous to Canada. Nunavut’s official flower is the purple saxifrage, ever since . Nunavut's Coat of Arms has an igloo ontop of it, representing the traditional life of the Nunavut people. It is framed on either side by a tuktu (Caribou) and qilalugaq tugaalik (Narwhal).
Nunavut's motto "Nunavut Sanginivut," is Inuktitut for "Nunavut, our strength.”
The first flag used in the development of Canada was the English flag of the fifteenth century, the Cross of St. George. It was carried by John Cabot who reached North America in the later part of the fifteenth century.
The first flag to fly over Canadian settlements was the flag of Royal France, a white flag with three fleurs-de-lis. It was raised by Jacques Cartier at his landing at Gaspe Harbour in . The French lived under this flag until the fall of Quebec in . English settlements flew a blue (shown above) or red merchant flag.
The Royal Union Flag, which contained two crosses - the Cross of St. George and the Cross of St. Andrew, was used by the English from about and by the French when France ceded Canada to Britain in .
In , the Union Jack made up of three crosses, those of St. George, St. Andrew and St. Patrick, was proclaimed for use on His Majesty's "Forts and Castles" and ships. Wider display occurred in the years that followed and it became a national symbol after . On December 18, Parliament approved continued use of this flag as a symbol of membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and allegiance to the Crown.
The Red Ensign, with Canada's shield on the fly, was authorized to be flown by Canadian Merchant ships in . Although authorized only for ships, many Canadians flew the Ensign and various versions as their flag on land. In , it was approved as a distinguishing device on Canadian Government Buildings abroad and from until for Federal Buildings inside and outside of Canada.
The flag of Spain once flew over Canada. By virtue of the Treaty of Tordesillas, the Spanish claimed ownership of the west coast from Mexico to Vancouver Island as Spanish territory. At the same time, the Russians were making an overlapping claim for control of the Pacific coast from Alaska to San Francisco. Early Spanish explorers landed in a few places on the west coast of Canada in and again in , however, they did not build any settlements.
In , Spain asserted its claim to the region by establishing a small fort at Friendly Cove at the entrance to Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island. They were fearful of the Russian intentions to explore the coast south of Alaska, and worried by the increased trading activity of the British that followed Capt. James Cook's historic visit to the area in .
In Spain withdrew from the Nootka Sound area to explore further south.
The Acadian standard was officially adopted as the National Flag of Acadia in in Miscouche, Prince Edward Island. It predates the flag of Canada by 80 years and is the oldest existing flag of French people in North America, predating the Acadian flag of Louisiana by 81 years, and the provincial flag of Québec by 65 years. The flag is based on the French tri-color representing the
origins of the Acadians. The yellow star is symbolic of the Acadian patron saint, the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Assumption.
The Acadians were expelled by the British in for refusing to pledge allegiance to the crown. The king of Spain invited and welcomed them to Louisiana after years of having been scattered to the various British colonies in what is now the East coast of the USA. The Acadians who arrived in Louisiana integrated into the society of Spanish, French, American Indian and displaced African slaves. The term Cajun evolved as an 'anglicized' pronunciation of the word 'Acadian'.
THE CANADIAN FLAG IS BORN
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The Canadian Flag was brought into existence by Prime Minister Lester Pearson, approved by Parliament on December 16, and authorized by Queen Elizabeth II on February 15, . The Canadian Flag (colloquially known as The Maple Leaf Flag) is a red flag of the proportions two by length and one by width, containing in its centre a white square, with a single red stylized eleven-point maple leaf centered in the white square.
The colours of white and red are the colours assigned Canada by King George V by his proclamation on November 21, , which granted a Coat of Arms to Canada. They symbolize strength, purity and, historically, are traditional of England and France. Red was the colour of St. George's Cross - the colour born by French Crusaders in , and the colour associated with early Kings of England. White was popular with monarchs of France, and was the colour of the field of the St. George Cross; the colour given the English Crusaders; and the colour of Banners borne by Joan of Arc and several early French Regiments. The Maple Leaf has been emblematic of Canada for over a century. There is no recorded significance to the eleven-point leaf design
Twenty-year-old Joan O'Malley sewed Canada's first flag in . At the stroke of noon on February 15, , Canada's red and white Maple Leaf Flag was raised on Parliament Hill in Ottawa for the very first time. Canada is the only country in the world with a maple leaf on its flag.
Although it is NOT a National Holiday, February 15th has been declared National Flag Day in Canada.
SOURCE: Canadian Ministry of Heritage
PLEDGE TO THE CANADIAN FLAG
To my Flag and to the country it represents,
I pledge RESPECT and LOYALTY.
Wave with PRIDE from sea to sea and within your folds, keep us ever UNITED.
Be for all a symbol of LOVE, FREEDOM and JUSTICE.
God keep our FLAG.
God protect our CANADA.
SALUT AU DRAPEAU CANADIEN
À mon drapeau et au pays qu'il représente,
je promets RESPECT et FIDÉLITÉ.
D'une mer à l'autre, flotte avec FIERTÉ et dans tes plis garde nous toujours UNIS.
Sois, pour nous tous, un symbole de l'AMOUR,
de la LIBERTÉ et de la JUSTICE.
Dieu garde notre DRAPEAU.
Dieu protège notre CANADA.
{The text for this unofficial pledge, both English and French versions, was proposed by Mr. Alexandre Cyr when he was a Member of Parliament for Gaspé, Quebec}
PROTOCOL FOR FLYING CANADA'S FLAGS
At public events and official functions in Canada, the place of honour is always given to the National Flag of Canada, which is usually displayed at the extreme left (as seen by the spectators) when flown with any of the 10 Provincial and 3 Territory flags.. It is then followed by the flag of the host Province, then the flags of the other Provinces according to the date the Province entered Confederation.
The order is: Ontario (), Quebec (), Nova Scotia (), New Brunswick (), Manitoba (), British Columbia (), Prince Edward Island (), Saskatchewan (), Alberta (), and Newfoundland ().
It is customary to fly the flags of the Territories in alphabetical order - Northwest Territories, followed by Nunavut and the Yukon. It is also correct to repeat Canada's flag at the other end.
When only three flags are displayed, the National Flag should be at the centre. To an observer facing the display, the second-ranking flag (in order of precedence) is placed to the left of centre, and the other to the right.
A common combination of flags is that of the National Flag of Canada with a provincial or territorial flag, and a municipal flag or an organization's banner. In such a case, the National Flag should be in the center with the provincial/territorial flag to the left and the municipal flag/organization's banner to the right (to an observer facing the display).
When possible, flags are raised daily at sunrise and lowered at sunset.
They are be flown at half-mast on the death of the following persons:
The Governor General(throughout the nation)
The Lieutenant-Governor (throughout the province)
Provincial Cabinet Ministers (throughout the province)
Members of Parliament (in their constituency only)
Members of the Senate (in place of residence only)
Members of the Legislative Assembly (in their constituency)
Mayor of city or town(in places of residence only)
NOTE: When flown at half-mast, the flag is raised to the top of the mast, then lowered to the half-mast position; and at night, raised once more to the top of the mast, then lowered to the ground.
FOLDING CANADA'S FLAG
The flag is always removed at night, folded and stored in a safe, dry location.
In Canada (and the UK) there is no formal way of folding the flag. You simply fold it ready for use next time. Basically, it is folded lengthwise (so you have a flag four times as long as it is high), then fold again lengthwise (ie 8 x 1), and then fold it three quarters of the way from the hoist back on itself and tie with light cotton. When the flag is next hoisted on the pole, a sharp tug on the lower rope will break the cotton and the flag will fly free.
International flag protocol is respected at all times.
THE FLAG ON CANADA'S STAMPS
Canada’s national flag has been featured on many Canada Post Stamps. For the past several years, our flag stamps have featured a fluttering or flapping flag set against various landscapes or familiar objects from diverse areas of the nation. Previous issues featured an iceberg, a lake, mountains and a shoreline, an office building, forests and prairies, and a seacoast. For the stamp design shown here, the flag flies in front of an inukshuk. An inukshuk is a figure of a human made of stones, originally used to scare caribou into an ambush. Today it’s used as a marker beside trails to guide travellers.
Visit our Canada Flags on Stamps page to see all stamp issues since .
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The flag of the Lieutenant-Governor of a Canadian Province (within the home Province of his/her jurisdiction) is treated in a manner similar to the Governor-General's flag and takes precedence over all flags, except H.M. the Queen's Personal Canadian flag.
The Governor General's flag has precedence over all flags in Canada except The Queen's Personal Canadian flag and the flag of the Lieutenant-Governor of a Province at the Lieutenant Governor's residence; or on occasion when the Lieutenant-Governor is performing his/her duties as The Queen's representative in his/her home Province.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (and other members of the Royal Family) are entitled to display personal flags and standards which are flown to denote their presence. These flags and standards are flown day and night at any building in which they are in residence or in which they are attending public functions.
These Royal flags and standards are also flown behind a saluting base when troops are inspected and on Her Majesty's ships when they are on board.
They are broken from the flag pole as members of the Royal Family step on to the saluting base or enter the building and are immediately lowered as they leave.
Her Majesty's Personal Canadian flag (and standards of other members of the Royal Family) take precedence before a national flag. They are never half-masted and these flags and standards, like all personal flags, are never used by others.
Canadian Forces Ensign: The Canadian Forces flag consists of the White Ensign with the National flag in the canton and the badge of the Canadian Armed Forces in the fly. This flag is also used as the personal flag of the Chief of Defence Staff.
Canadian Naval Ensign Canadian Army Flag Canadian Air Force Ensign Canadian Coast Guard Ensign Royal Canadian Mounted Police Flag Royal Military College Flag (*)(*) The design of the Royal Military College flag proved to be instrumental in the final selection of the Canadian flag in .
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