The
flag of Ontario was enacted by the
Flag Act on May 21, 1965 in the Legislature of the Province of
OntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The flag is a
defacedDefacement is a term used in heraldry and vexillology to refer to the addition of a symbol or charge to another flag. For example, the Australian flag is the British Blue Ensign defaced with the Southern Cross in the fly and the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter, beneath the Union...
Red EnsignThe Red Ensign or "Red Duster" is a flag that originated in the early 17th century as a British ensign flown by the Royal Navy and later specifically by British merchantmen. The precise date of its first appearance is not known, but surviving receipts indicate that the Navy was paying to have such...
, with the
Union FlagThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland uses as its national flag the royal banner known as the Union Flag or, popularly, Union Jack. The current design of the Union Flag dates from the union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801...
in the
cantonFlag terminology is a jargon used in vexillology, the study of flags, to describe precisely the parts, patterns, and other attributes of flags and their display.-Description of standard flag parts and terms:...
and the
Ontario shield of armsThe coat of arms of Ontario was granted by Royal Warrant of Queen Victoria on 26 May 1868. This arms of Canada was shared with the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador and also used in the Canadian Red Ensign. The Dominion arms was simple and lacked supporters...
in the
flyFlag terminology is a jargon used in vexillology, the study of flags, to describe precisely the parts, patterns, and other attributes of flags and their display.-Description of standard flag parts and terms:...
.
Before 1965, the
Canadian Red EnsignThe Canadian Red Ensign is the former flag of Canada, used by the federal government though it was never adopted as official by the Parliament of Canada. It is a British Red Ensign, featuring the Union Flag in the canton, defaced with the shield of the Coat of Arms of Canada.-History:The 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 LegionThe Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization founded in 1925, with more than 400,000 members worldwide. Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of...
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 CanadaThe national flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf, and , is a red flag with a white square in its centre, featuring a stylized 11-pointed red maple leaf. Its adoption in 1965 marked the first time a national flag had been officially adopted in Canada to replace the Union Flag...
. 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 RobartsJohn Parmenter Robarts, PC, CC, QC was a Canadian lawyer and statesman, and the 17th Premier of Ontario.-Early life:...
'
Ontario Progressive ConservativesThe Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
.
Robarts thus proposed that Ontario would have its own flag and that it would be a Red Ensign like the previous Canadian flag. It was traditional for jurisdictions around the world with a British system of government and way of life to adapt either a blue or red ensign as a flag, by adding the local coat or arms or some other symbol. In Ontario, it was logical to place the Ontario shield of arms on the flag. While Robarts insisted that he supported the new national flag, he felt the Ensign was an important symbol that reflected Ontario's British heritage and the sacrifices made by Canadian troops under the Red Ensign. As Robarts put it, the Ontario flag "covers our history."
Canadians were exhausted by the long debate over the national flag and leaders of both the
Ontario Liberal PartyThe Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
and the
Ontario New Democratic PartyThe Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
decided to support the design. The only opposition came from
SudburySudbury is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1908. It is one of the two districts serving the city of Greater Sudbury.Its population in 2001 was 89,443....
Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament
Elmer SophaElmer Sopha was a Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Sudbury in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1959 to 1971. He was a member of the Ontario Liberal Party.-Career:...
who was fervently opposed to the flag, arguing that it failed to reflect Ontario's diverse character and that it was "a flag of revenge" against the new national flag. However, he was only joined by one other MPP, Liberal
Leo TroyMartin Leo Troy was a Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Nipissing in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1959 to 1965. He was a member of the Ontario Liberal Party.-External links:...
, in voting against the flag, and it was passed by the
Legislative AssemblyThe Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
on March 17.
The
flag of ManitobaThe 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...
was adopted under similar circumstances.
See also
- Flag of Manitoba
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...
- List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols
- Symbols of Ontario
Ontario is one of Canada's provinces, and has established several provincial symbols.-Official symbols:...
- Coat of arms of Ontario
The coat of arms of Ontario was granted by Royal Warrant of Queen Victoria on 26 May 1868. This arms of Canada was shared with the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador and also used in the Canadian Red Ensign. The Dominion arms was simple and lacked supporters...
- Franco-Ontarian Flag
External links