Canadian Red Ensign (1868-1921).svg
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The Canadian Red Ensign (french: Enseigne Rouge Canadienne ) served as a nautical flag and civil ensign for Canada from 1892 to 1965, and later as the '' de facto''
flag of Canada The national flag of Canada (french: le Drapeau national du Canada), often simply referred to as the Canadian flag or, unofficially, as the Maple Leaf or ' (; ), consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of , in ...
before 1965. The flag is a British red ensign, with the
Royal Union Flag The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...
in the
canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...
, adorned with the shield of the coat of arms of Canada. The Canadian Red Ensign emerged as an informal flag to represent Canada as early as the 1870s and was used at sea and on land "on all public buildings throughout the provinces,"Despatch No. 311, 12 December 1891, GG's Office, file 290A, Vol. 1, 1865-1937. prior to becoming the country's civil ensign in 1892. The flag was adorned with the arms of the Canadian provinces until 1921, when the arms of Canada replaced the amalgamation of provincial arms on the ensign. During the Second World War, the ensign saw use as symbol that represented Canada's armed forces. In 1945, an order in council named the Canadian Red Ensign a "distinctive Canadian flag" to fly on government buildings. However, the ensign was never formally adopted as a national flag of Canada, with the Union Jack used in that role until the
Maple Leaf flag The national flag of Canada (french: le Drapeau national du Canada), often simply referred to as the Canadian flag or, unofficially, as the Maple Leaf or ' (; ), consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of , in ...
was adopted in 1965. The Maple Leaf flag also replaced the Canadian Red Ensign as the civil ensign of the country after it was adopted.


Description

The ensign is the Red Ensign of the United Kingdom, embellished with the Arms of Canada as a shield in the bottom right quarter. The shield is divided into four quarters, consisting of the coats of arms of England, Scotland, Ireland and the Kingdom of France, the four founding nations of Canada. The first three quarters are the same as the Arms of the United Kingdom. At the base is a sprig of three maple leaves representing Canada. The leaves are described as ''proper'', that is, the correct colour; it uses red and gold, the colour of the leaves in autumn, whereas earlier versions used green.


History

The Red Ensign bearing some sort of a Canadian emblem was used by Canadians both on land and at sea beginning as early as 1868 (soon after Confederation) on an informal or extra-legal basis. As Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald "constantly made use of it", promoting it throughout Canada "by precept and example." An 1891 memo from the Governor General, Lord Stanley, stated: "the Dominion Government has encouraged by precept and example the use on all public buildings throughout the provinces of the Red Ensign with the Canadian badge on the 'Fly.'" In 1892, it was authorized by Admiralty Warrant for use on ships registered in Canada and this was enshrined in the ''Canada Shipping Act'' of 1934, yet the flag had no legal status on land (the
Royal Union Flag The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...
remained the formal national flag of Canada until 1965). Despite its lack of any official status on land, the Red Ensign with Canadian arms was widely used on land, and flew over the Parliament Buildings until 1904 when it was replaced by the Union Flag. Various versions of the Red Ensign continued to be flown on land and the flag featured prominently in patriotic displays and recruiting efforts during the First World War. It can be seen in numerous photographs of Canadian troops, on the prime minister's car, and in victory parades. The original Canadian Red Ensign had the arms of the four founding provinces on its shield. However, in the late 19th and early 20th century, flag manufacturers would often supplement this design with wreaths of laurel and oak leaves and crowns. The design was frequently placed on a white background square, circle or roughly following the outline of the arms in the flag's fly (right hand side assuming the flagpole to be on the left). There was no standard design for the Red Ensign until the early 1920s. In 1921, the Government of Canada asked King George V to order a new coat of arms for Canada. The College of Arms thus designed a suitable coat of arms of Canada. The new shield was displayed on the Red Ensign, thus producing a new version of the Canadian Red Ensign in 1922. In 1924, the Red Ensign was approved for use on Canadian government buildings outside Canada. The Canadian Red Ensign, through history, tradition and custom was finally formalized on 5 September 1945, when the Governor General of Canada signed an Order-in-Council (P.C. 5888) which stated that "The Red Ensign with the Shield of the Coat of arms in the fly (to be referred to as "The Canadian Red Ensign") may be flown from buildings owned or occupied by the Canadian federal Government within or without Canada shall be appropriate to fly as a distinctive Canadian flag." The flag was thus approved for use by government buildings inside Canada as well, and once again flew over Parliament. The Red Ensign served as the country's civil ensign from 1892 to 1965 when it was replaced by today's
Maple Leaf flag The national flag of Canada (french: le Drapeau national du Canada), often simply referred to as the Canadian flag or, unofficially, as the Maple Leaf or ' (; ), consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of , in ...
. The flag bore various forms of the shield from the Canadian coat of arms in its fly during the period of its use. From 1921 until 1957, the Canadian Red Ensign was virtually the same, except that the leaves in the coat of arms were green, and there was a slight alteration to the Irish harp (the earlier version having a woman's bust as part of the harp). A blue ensign, also bearing the shield of the Canadian coat of arms, was the jack flown by the Royal Canadian Navy and the ensign of other ships owned by the Canadian government until 1965. From 1865 until Canadian Confederation in 1867, the
United Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...
could also have used a blue ensign, but there is little evidence such a flag was ever used. In Otto Reinhold Jacobi's painting of the new Parliament Buildings in 1866, a Red Ensign flies from the tower of the East Block. In 2007, the Canadian Red Ensign was formally recognized as a "national symbol of Canada," by the Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada.


Vimy Ridge Red Ensign

The Red Ensign carried by the 5th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Western Cavalry) at the
Battle of Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions o ...
in 1917 survives to this day, and is possibly the oldest Canadian flag in existence. The battle was the first time all four divisions of the
Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...
fought together during the First World War, and is viewed as a pivotal event in the history of Canadian national identity. The Red Ensign flown at Vimy Ridge in 1917 had the arms of Canada's first four provinces. In the Royal Warrant of 1868 assigning arms to the first four provinces of Canada, Queen Victoria authorized them to be quartered for use on the Great Seal of Canada and thus '' de facto'' they became the arms for Canada until 1921. After the battle, the flag was donated to the
Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...
in the United Kingdom by Lieutenant-Colonel Lorn Paulet Owen Tudor of the 5th Battalion, an Englishman who had emigrated to Canada before the war. The Imperial War Museum refused requests over the years to repatriate the Vimy Ridge Red Ensign to Canada, including a request in 2000 to acquire the flag for the ceremonies surrounding the dedication of Canada's
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and to the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-prof ...
. David Penn, Keeper of Exhibits and Firearms at the Imperial War Museum, called the flag "our most important First World War
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
artifact". Eventually, after months of negotiations involving the
Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veterans' organization) founded in 1925. Membership includes people who have served as military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, Royal ...
, the Imperial War Museum agreed to lend the flag to Canada to commemorate the opening of the new Canadian War Museum in Ottawa in 2005. The flag was returned to the United Kingdom in 2008. There is another Red Ensign in existence that was reportedly carried by Canadian troops at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, currently held by the Penticton Museum and Archives in Penticton, British Columbia. It is a simple red ensign, without a coat of arms.


Usage today

Though much less common than either the Maple Leaf or modern provincial flags, the several versions of the Canadian Red Ensign continue to be flown today both in official and unofficial capacities. In view of its association with the Canadian Army during the world wars, it is flown alongside the Maple Leaf flag at numerous war memorials, including the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France. It is also used by veterans' groups, and is part of the official colour party (together with the Maple Leaf) of the
Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veterans' organization) founded in 1925. Membership includes people who have served as military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, Royal ...
. The flag is sometimes flown on vintage ships, and at heritage sites where it is historically accurate. In the 2010s, some
far right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
, white nationalist or white supremacist groups have co-opted the red ensign, displaying it either alongside or instead of the Maple Leaf as a symbol of a monoculturally white Canada. These include the
Aryan Guard The Aryan Guard was a neo-Nazi group based in Alberta, Canada, whose members are primarily located in the city of Calgary.
, the founder of the Canadian Nazi Party, white nationalist leader Paul Fromm, and the five members of the
Proud Boys The Proud Boys is an American far-right, neo-fascist, and exclusively male organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the United States.Far-right: * * Fascist: * * * * * Men only: * * * Political violence: * * * It has ...
who disrupted an indigenous protest on
Canada Day Canada Day (french: Fête du Canada), formerly known as Dominion Day (french: Fête du Dominion), is the national day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 18 ...
in July 2017. The flag's appropriation by white supremacists has produced an outcry from several groups, including the Royal Canadian Legion, the Canadian Centre for the Great War, and the editor of the history journal '' The Dorchester Review'', who have expressed the view that "trivializing, or treating as a kind of talisman of defiance, a flag that has a much more venerable and mainstream role" is not right and "flies in the face of what the Red Ensign means".


Variations

Before the design of the Red Ensign was standardized in 1921, flag makers made the badge larger each time a new province joined Confederation. This led to the creation of several unofficial but widely used flags. At the
opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.
of the 1936 Olympic Games, a variant of the 1921–1957 red ensign with the arms inside a white disc was carried by Canadian Olympian and flag bearer
James Worrall James Worrall, (June 23, 1914 – October 9, 2011) was a Canadian lawyer, Olympic track and field athlete, and sports administrator. Born in Bury, Lancashire, England, Worrall emigrated to Montreal, Quebec in 1922. He received a Bachelor of Sci ...
. However the normal version of the red ensign without the disc was hoisted alongside the other national flags that surrounded the perimeter of the stadium. Some of the variations are shown below. File:Caribou Canadian Flag.png, 1868: The Canadian Red Ensign used at
Dominion Day Dominion Day was a day commemorating the granting of certain countries Dominion status — that is, "autonomous Communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external ...
celebrations in Barkerville, BC in support of Canadian Confederation, as Canada did not have an official flag. File:Canadian Red Ensign 1870.svg, 1870: An early version of Manitoba's coat of arms was added to represent the new province. File:Flag of Canada (1870).svg, 1870: Until 1922, there were variations in displaying the shield on the flag: sometimes a white disk was added behind the shield, sometimes there would be a wreath of maple leaves or a wreath of roses, thistles, and shamrocks, and occasionally the shield was topped by a beaver or crown. File:Canadian Red Ensign 1871.svg, 1871: Symbols were added to represent British Columbia. This version was rarely used and was overshadowed heavily by the 1868, 70, and 73 versions, all three of which remained in use until the early 1900s, while the 1873 version was never particularly common. File:Canadian Red Ensign 1873.svg, 1873: The flag was modified to represent the new provinces of British Columbia and Prince Edward Island. The badge was always placed on a white disk in this edition. File:Canadian Red Ensign 1896.svg, 1896: British Columbia adopted a new coat of arms. File:Canadian Red Ensign (1905–1922).svg, 1907: Alberta and Saskatchewan were added to the flag. The coats of arms of British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, and Manitoba took on their modern forms. File:Canadian Red Ensign 1921-1957.svg, 1921: An official Canadian coat of arms was created to replace the old unofficial shield, because it was too cluttered and difficult to identify at distance. Used until 1957. File:Canadian Red Ensign 1921-1957 (with disc).svg, Flag with 1921-1957 disc. The flag was carried by James Worrall at the opening ceremony of the 1936 Olympic Games. Canadian Red Ensign 1957-1965 (with disc).svg, Flag with 1957-1965 disc File:Flag of the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario (1959-1965).svg, Flag of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1959 to 1965, the 1957 Canadian Red Ensign with the shield of Ontario below the Union Jack.


Provincial

Today, two Canadian
provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...
flags are Red Ensigns, the flag of Ontario and the flag of Manitoba. In 1965, after the Great Flag Debate in Parliament and throughout the country as a whole, the Maple Leaf flag was adopted. The Red Ensign, however, retained broad sympathy including amongst many who desired a distinct national flag for Canada. Ontario and Manitoba subsequently adopted their provincial flags in 1965 and 1966 respectively.


Canadian Blue Ensign

The Canadian Blue Ensign is similar to the Red Ensign. The flag was used as the jack of the Royal Canadian Navy from its inception until the adoption of the
Maple Leaf flag The national flag of Canada (french: le Drapeau national du Canada), often simply referred to as the Canadian flag or, unofficially, as the Maple Leaf or ' (; ), consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of , in ...
in 1965. The Blue Ensign was approved by the
British Admiralty The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of it ...
in 1868 for use by ships owned by the Canadian government. Carr's ''Flags of the World'' says "The Blue Ensign is charged with the shield in the fly", and that the Blue Ensign "is worn 'as a Jack' for distinguishing purposes when at anchor, or under way and dressed with masthead flags". In 1937, the Canadian Government established that the Canadian Blue Ensign ("the Blue Ensign of the Dominion of Canada") would be used as a special ensign by the several Canadian yacht clubs which had prior to then used the British Blue Ensign (either plain or defaced) as their special ensign. This usage lasted until the 1965 introduction of the Maple Leaf flag. Today, some Canadian yacht clubs use the Canadian Blue Ensign to commemorate this usage.


In art and culture

Otto Reinhold Jacobi included a red ensign flying from the East Block in his 1866 painting of the Parliament Buildings. During the early 1990s an urban myth developed claiming that the
US flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the ca ...
was printed on the 1986 series of Canadian banknotes. The myth stated that the US flag could be seen flown on the Parliament buildings depicted behind Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier on the $5 banknote, Sir John A. Macdonald on the $10 note and William Lyon Mackenzie King on the $50 note. This flag was in fact the Canadian Red Ensign, which was contemporaneous with the three prime ministers, but in such a small size that it could be confused with the US flag.


See also

* British ensigns * Canadian Forces Naval Jack * National symbols of Canada * Royal Canadian Air Force Ensign


References


External links


Red and Blue Ensigns, Canada
History including chronology

by Alister B. Fraser

!-- re: blue ensign --> {{Union Flag Red Ensign Historical flags National symbols of Canada Red Ensigns Flags of the British Empire
Canadian Red Ensign The Canadian Red Ensign (french: Enseigne Rouge Canadienne ) served as a nautical flag and civil ensign for Canada from 1892 to 1965, and later as the ''de facto'' flag of Canada before 1965. The flag is a British red ensign, with the Royal Un ...