The 9 Province Flag (Canada) This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website The 9 Province Flag (Canada) Description of the flag In the last decades of the 19th century the official flag of Canada, on land, was the Union Jack. This was not, strictly speaking, the national flag of Britain (or of Canada), but a flag of Queen Victoria, the monarch of Canada. At sea unarmed ships of the governments of the British Empire flew a Blue Ensign, that had the union jack in the upper corner next to the staff, and in the middle of the fly, a badge that indicated the government, or the government department, that operated the vessel. Merchant ships flew the Red Ensign, a red flag with the union jack in the corner, but no badge in the fly. The badge on the flag used by Canadian government vessels was a shield, derived from the Great Seal of Canada, which combined the arms of the four original provinces, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Canadians contrived a distinctive land flag by adding the badge from the Canadian Blue Ensign to the fly of a Red Ensign.

A Red Ensign should, by convention, not have been used on land, but there was no specific prohibition and it acquired more or less official status. In 1870 when Manitoba became the fifth Canadian province it was, unlike the other provinces, not represented on the flag. This resulted in the production unofficial flags, which had an enlarged badge that include the Arms of Manitoba. Decoration was added in the form of a maple-leaf garland and a crown, copied from the personal flag of the Governor-General, and a beaver that probably represented the Hudson's Bay Company, which had administered the general area of Manitoba before it became a Canadian province. The entry of British Columbia and Prince Edward Island into the confederation, with no change in the official badge, resulted in a seven-province-badge flag in about 1873. This was replaced by a nine-province-badge flag in 1907, when Saskatchewan and Alberta became Canadian provinces. All the provinces had Arms, but the Dominion of Canada itself still had only a Seal and no Arms. This was corrected when full armorial bearings were granted to Canada by King George V on 21 November 1921.

In the following year the shield from the Arms became the badge on the Canadian Blue and Red Ensigns, and the need for the nine-province-badge unofficial Red Ensign disappeared. David Prothero, 6 February 2000 An interesting flag. I notice that the Union Jack canton is smaller than 1/4, and the overall ratio is much smaller than 1:2. The placement and size of the badge are also very irregular. What can be said about this? Ant�nio Martins, 05 February 2000 Well, it was not an official flag, so anything goes. Also, although this flag was introduced in about 1907, it was following the pattern set by the "five province badge" flag of 1870. Ratio 1:2 is not a very convenient proportion. Unless there are other considerations, a flag is likely to be made in the "more natural" proportions of 2:3 or 3:5 ? Badge position This is not as extreme as in the early ensigns of some colonies when it was not uncommon to have the badge in the extreme lower fly corner.

It may have been thought that this improved the appearance of the flag, by balancing the UJ in the top left corner; and/or that a badge should not be in the centre of the fly, where it straddles two quarters. Canton size Before the middle of the 1700's the canton in, I think, almost any flag was nearly square and usually less than a quarter. It was, in my opinion, the introduction of the overall St George's cross on the White Ensign that resulted in the enlargement of the canton, to fill the space created by the cross. For uniformity and manufacturing considerations, the cantons on the Red and Blue Ensigns were also enlarged, but cantons of, for example, army flags, continued to be nearly square and much less than a quarter. For a parade flag the navy followed army tradition; the Queen's Colour of the Royal Navy, although basically a White Ensign it is 5:6.

David Prothero, 11 February 2000 Flags of Canada and Provinces 1789-1795 1884 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 1534. The French lived under this flag until the fall of Quebec in 1759. 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 1707 and by the French when France ceded Canada to Britain in 1763. In 1801, 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 1904. On December 18, 1964 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 1892. Although authorized only for ships, many Canadians flew the Ensign and various versions as their flag on land. In 1924, it was approved as a distinguishing device on Canadian Government Buildings abroad and from 1945 until 1965 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 1592 and again in 1774, however, they did not build any settlements. In 1789, 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 1778. In 1795 Spain withdrew from the Nootka Sound area to explore further south. The Acadian standard was officially adopted as the National Flag of Acadia in 1884 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 Qu�bec 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 1755 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 The Canadian Flag was brought into existence by Prime Minister Lester Pearson, approved by Parliament on December 16, 1964 and authorized by Queen Elizabeth II on February 15, 1965. 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, 1921, 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 1189, 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 1964. At the stroke of noon on February 15, 1965, 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. � mon drapeau et au pays qu'il repr�sente, je promets RESPECT et FID�LIT�. D'une mer � l'autre, flotte avec FIERT� et dans tes plis garde nous toujours UNIS. Sois, pour nous tous, un symbole de l'AMOUR, de la LIBERT� et de la JUSTICE. Dieu garde notre DRAPEAU. Dieu prot�ge 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 Gasp�, 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 (1867), Quebec (1867), Nova Scotia (1867), New Brunswick (1867), Manitoba (1870), British Columbia (1871), Prince Edward Island (1873), Saskatchewan (1905), Alberta (1905), and Newfoundland (1949). 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 1965. Flags of the 10 Provinces and 3 Territories (Yukon Territories) Provincial Lieutenant-Governor's flags 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. Governor-General's 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. Queen's Personal Canadian Flag 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. Flag of the Canadian Forces 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 Nova Scotia (Canada) This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website Nova Scotia (Canada) 4:5, image by Clay Moss, 18 August 2009 1:2, image by Clay Moss, 18 August 2009 ISO 3166-2 Code: CA-NS Proportions of the Flag Flag White with blue saltire and 'Scottish lion' in a shield in the middle. Ratio 3:4. officially confirmed 19 January 1929. Civil and state flag on land and civil ensign on sea. Željko Heimer, 16 July 1996 1. The N.S. flag is a reverse of the Saint Andrew's Cross of Scotland , with the royal badge of Scotland in the centre. Nova Scotia's flag was granted in 1625 by King James I, (James VI of Scotland) to Sir William Alexander, a Scottish noble and explorer for the establishment of a Colony in what was then French Acadia. At this time, Nova Scotia's coat of arms was also granted. 2.

At the time of Confederation, Queen Victoria assigned new coats of arms and flags to all of the provinces. All of these flags may have been based on a Red Ensign, but I have never seen an N.S. Red or Blue Ensign. Nova Scotians hated this new coat of arms. 3. In 1925 a movement came forth asking for the return to the old flag and arms. King George V assented their request. John MacLean, 19 July 1999 I have the text of the 'Royal Warrant Assigning Armorial Bearings to the Province of Nova Scotia' dated 19 January 1929. This was published in 'The Royal Gazette', Halifax, 4 December 1929, and refers both to the grant of Arms by H.M.. Queen Victoria on 26 May 1838 (which it cancels and annuls), and to those "recorded in or about the year 1625 in the Office of Our Lyon Kings of Arms in Scotland" (which it "grants and confirms").

The flag is only referred to in passing when it says that the arms may be used "upon Seals, Shields, BANNERS or otherwise according to the Laws of Arms" which is indeed (at least as far as I am aware) in any case "implicit in (any) grant of arms"?. The only thing I have which refers to an official ratio is contained in 'Nova Scotia, Symbols', 1997 (published in both French and English), which states - without giving any further authority - that "The flag consists of Arms, with the Cross of St Andrew extended in a rectangle three-quarters as wide as its length". Despite this the accompanying illustration is of a flag in 1:2. I should, perhaps, remark that on both the full Achievement of Arms, the flag, the Shield of Arms and House of Assembly Crest as illustrated in this last, the inescutcheon is shown with an obvious black border. Christopher Southworth, 25 January 2005 As reported by CBC, , Nova Scotia's provincial flag is now confirmed. An oversight from Nova Scotia's past is about to be fixed thanks to the work of an 11-year-old girl.

Regan Parker was working on a heritage project for her class when she discovered that the coat of arms that represents Nova Scotia has never officially been recognized as the provincial flag. The student from the Fanning Education Centre in Canso flagged the anomaly to her local MLA, Jim Boudreau. He enlisted the help of researchers at the Legislative library. "We checked with the executive council, leg library, Communications Nova Scotia, and so on, and in fact, it had never been recognized as the official flag," Boudreau said. Boudreau introduced a bill on Tuesday to confirm the 155-year-old white and blue flag as the official flag of Nova Scotia. He said he's impressed that a school project has found its way to the floor of the house. The bill is expected to receive third and final reading on Thursday. Rob Raeside, 9 May 2013 Proportions of the Flag Canadian Provincial flags are often made in 1:2 to match the Maple Leaf, or just because the Canadian manufacturers are geared for 1:2 flags, just like those in many other places make all flags in 2:3 proportions.

According to the official < > Nova Scotian website the flag is supposed to be 1:2 (not 3:4)! Dean McGee, 20 February 2006 Yes, but see also where the "historic description" shows a flag that is 2:3. I suspect the disparity lies in the fact that the provincial flag in NS has never been formally adopted - according to Fraser: The authority for the armorial banner of Nova Scotia rests squarely with the grant of arms in 1625, but an armorial banner is not a provincial flag. The provincial flag of Nova Scotia has never been authorized, but relies on a tradition dating back to its first informal use in 1858. But neither 1858 nor any of the other frequently mentioned dates serves to establish the birth of a flag which formally does not exist. It seems that from the multiple-choice list of competing dates, the best answer is "none of the above." It is firmly to be hoped that the government of Nova Scotia will one day pass the necessary legislation to officially give to the public that which it has coveted for so long. Almost every flag seen flying in NS is 1:2, to match the national flag.

That however, as Dean has already pointed out, is probably simply because they are made that way. Rob Raeside, 20 February 2006 Whatever Fraser says, an armorial banner of the arms granted in proper form (and due process) to a province is de facto and de jure the provincial flag until the democratic process decides otherwise. The critical fact is (as I see it) does the grant of arms to a province entitle the residents of that province to fly an armorial banner of those arms, or is use of any such flag restricted to the provincial government? Christopher Southworth, 20 February 2006 Erroneously reported red ensign image by Jaume Oll� Flags Through The Ages and Across the World by Whitney Smith shows the following ensigns for the provinces of Canada : Nova Scotia - Red Ensign with a coat of arms that I'm not familiar with. Chris Pinette, 30 June 1998 Flag of the Lieutenant-Governor image by Martin Grieve and Graham Bartram Badge detail image by Martin Grieve and Graham Bartram 'NOVA SCOTIA : Approved 1869/08/07.

The document is signed by Queen Victoria.' This is the date of the Order in Council which instituted the whole system of Union Flag defacements for 'Governors of Her Majesty's dominions in foreign parts, and Governors of all ranks and denominations administering the Governments of British colonies and dependencies,'. It wasn't until 1870 that the Governor General of Canada received sanction to adopt a defacement which varied from the design stipulated by the Order in Council, i.e. a garland of maple leaves instead of laurel leaves. A book called 'Flags of the World; Their History, Blazonry and Associations' by F.E. Hulme published about 1890 is quoted for this. This variation was then extended to Lt. Governors.. Defacements world-wide totaled 145, of which 24 are still current. David Prothero, 17 February 1997 Do you know when Nova Scotia adopted the current defaced Union Flag design of 'A full ring of 18 green maple leaves....', which is set well within the circumference of the white disc?

The original garland was the same as the maple leaf garland used on the flags of all the other provincial Lieutenant-Governors between each one's inception and the change to the current blue flag. This was a much more luxuriant garland, tied with a yellow ribbon, the whole garland concealing the interface between the edge of the white disc and the rest of the flag. David Prothero, 17 February 1997 Former Lieutenant Governor flag Former badge image by Martin Grieve Nova Scotia was one of the four founding provinces and the thistle and salmon arms granted on 26 May 1868 were approved for use on the Union Jack of the Lieutenant-Governor afloat in 1870. I do not known whether it was used on land. The 1868 arms were granted even though Nova Scotia already had arms. The original c1625 grant by Lyon King of Arms had been lost. It was re-entered in the register at the Lyon Court in Edinburgh sometime between 1805 and 1810, but ignored when arms for the Canadian provinces were being considered.

These original arms, the Royal Arms of Scotland on a blue saltire were re-instated by royal warrant dated 19 January 1929. This badge replaced the thistle and salmon badge on the Lt-Governor's flag afloat, but, according to Alistair Fraser in Flags of Canada, was probably not used on land until comparatively recently, except as a car flag in the 1950's, at which time the armorial banner was flown at Government House. Nova Scotia's provincial flag, unlike those of all other Canadian provinces, has never been made official by legislation. It is claimed that the right to create an armorial banner is implicit in a grant of arms, but British Columbia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, which also have armorial banners as provincial flags, have made them official by Order in Council, Proclamation, or Act of Legislature. Fraser points out that in this respect the provincial flag of Nova Scotia is similar in status to the national flag of the United Kingdom.

David Prothero, 19 December 2002 Flags of Canada » J.J.'s Complete Guide to Canada The national flag of Canada, Canadian Department of Heritage Provincial Flags Each province and territory of Canada has its own flag, too. Like the Maple Leaf, most are fairly recent creations, often the result of contests and committees held during the 1960s and 1970s, when many provinces were getting ready to celebrate their centennial anniversaries. Prior to that, some provinces occasionally flew ensign-style flags with their provincial coats of arms in the corner, in the style of the national red ensign mentioned above. Though diverse in design, the 13 provincial/territorial flags share a number of common traditions. Most are based on their province’s coat of arms in some form or another, and the majority feature some medley of preexisting, government-designated “official symbols” of the place. The Alberta flag has a simple design featuring the province’s coat of arms on a blue background. The coat itself features a stylized representation of the Alberta landscape topped by the English Cross of St. George.

British Columbia’s flag was created in 1960 during the activist reign of premier WAC Bennett (1900-1979). Based on the B.C. coat of arms, it’s supposed to personify that old trope about how “the sun never sets on the British Empire” and shows a never-setting sun against the waves of the Pacific coast — at one time one of the Empire’s most distant points. Manitoba and Ontario are the only two provinces that never engaged in the flag re-designing fad that swept the rest of Canada in the late 20th century, and still use fairly generic-looking red ensigns as a result. The Manitoba flag features the province’s coat of arms, which has a buffalo — the official provincial animal — on it. The Maritime provinces’ flags are all quite rich in British heraldic symbolism. The New Brunswick flag features a golden lion, representing England, and an old-timey sailing ship as a nod to the province’s historic status as a major centre of Maritime trade and ship-building. The newest flag of any province, the flag of Newfoundland was drafted by a graphic design firm in 1980.

It’s supposed to resemble a stylized Union Jack with the blue representing the sea and the white the frozen north. The other colours represent stuff like hope, pride and forward-thinking. Very similar to the Yukon flag, the Northwest Territories flag features the coat of arms between two blue bars, representing the territory’s rivers, lakes and oceans. The crest itself features a white fox, a traditional animal of northern Canada. The flag of Nova Scotia is an inverted version of the Scottish flag, the Cross of St. Andrew, with the provincial coat of arms in the centre. Nunavut is Canada’s newest territory and the Nunavut flag was created by a local artist in 1999. It features a red Inukshuk, a traditional stone formation made by the territory’s native peoples. In the top right corner sits the North Star, another traditional symbol of northern Canada. A vocal critic of the Maple Leaf, in 1965 Ontario premier John Robarts (1917-1982) designated the Ontario red ensign as his province’s official flag to help ensure that the Union Jack would continue to fly in Ontario. Like Manitoba’s flag, it features the Ontario coat of arms in the bottom-right corner.

Prince Edward Island’s flag is also a stretched-out version of the provincial coat of arms. The lion and the big tree represent mother England, while the three little trees represent the Island’s historic three counties. Always a hotbed of nationalistic sentiment, in 1948 Quebec became the first province in Canada to create their own distinctive flag . Like the Maple Leaf flag, it doesn’t have any specific symbolism but uses the Fleur-de-lis and cross to evoke memories of the medieval banners of royal France. Designed as part of a province-wide contest in 1969, the Saskatchewan flag displays a stylized depiction of the prairie province’s flat landscape, with the coat of arms in the top left corner and the provincial flower, the red lily, on the right. Another contest-winner, the Yukon flag has the territorial coat of arms surrounded by a green bar, representing the forests, and a blue bar representing rivers and lakes. City Flags With national and provincial flags happily established, in recent years many of Canada’s cities and towns have begun to create flags of their own, too.

These tend to vary in quality quite a bit, with the worst often bearing obvious signs of being designed by some art-illiterate municipal board — which of course they often were. While some cities will fly their municipal flag proudly, many more will be largely unknown to the general public and exist primarily for the sake of existing. Here’s a few of the official banners of Canada’s biggest cities: Other Flags Canada is truly a country with a flag for every occasion. A good way to measure the importance of someone or something in Canada, in fact, is whether or not they have an official banner of some sort. Some of the more notable examples include: Canada’s Queen and governor general have official flags that are flown from any building they’re visiting at that moment. The three branches of the Canadian military (army, navy, and air force) all have flags , and there are usually flags representing dozens of individual regiments as well. Canada’s two recognized ethnic minority groups, first nations and French-Canadians, have a vast array of Francophone and aboriginal flags to recognize their different communities. Links About Canadian Flags: Canada's History - Fly the flag! Kids > Kayak > You Otter Know > Articles > Fly the flag! Fly the flag!

Each Canadian province and territory has its own flag with symbols that make it special. Click on the flag or the text link and you can read more about provincial and territorial symbols on the Canadian Heritage website! The green on the flag of the Yukon stands for its forests, white for snow and blue for its rivers and lakes. The territory’s shield shows a husky standing on snow, wavy lines symbolizing the Yukon River, red triangles for the mountains containing circles representing gold, and a symbol of the fur trade over top of the cross of St. George. The flag of the Northwest Territories features the region’s crest, which shows white and blue sections representing the Arctic Ocean and the Northwest Passage on top with red for tundra and green for forest below. The gold bars and fox symbolize the territories’ resources. Nunavut ’s shows an inuksuk to represent the Inuit people; it is red to represent Canada. There is a yellow section for the wealth of the land, and a blue star to symbolize the North Star as well as the guiding wisdom of elders.

The wavy lines on British Columbia ’s flag represent the province’s location between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, while the Union flag symbolizes B.C.’s ties to Great Britain. Alberta ’s flag features the provincial shield, which shows the cross of St. George and the province’s mountains, hills, prairie and wheat fields. The green on Saskatchewan ’s flag represents the forests in the north, while the gold represents the grain fields of the south. The flower is the western red lily; the shield shows the lion of England and three sheaves of wheat. The Union flag in the upper left of Manitoba ’s flag and the cross of St. George represent the province’s ties to Great Britain, while the bison symbolizes the importance of the animal to First Nations and European settlers. Ontario ’s flag includes the Union flag in the upper left, the cross of St. George and three golden maple leaves. Quebec ’s flag shows four fleurs-de-lis, the flower of France, on a blue background divided by the white cross of French royalty. The ship on New Brunswick ’s flag represents the province’s shipbuilding and sailing history, while the lion symbolizes the relationship with Great Britain.

Nova Scotia ’s flag features Scotland’s blue cross of St. Andrew with the province’s shield of arms in the centre. The large oak tree and the lion on Prince Edward Island ’s flag both symbolize England, while the three smaller oak trees represent the province’s three counties. Newfoundland and Labrador ’s flag makes you think of the Union flag. Its colours are all symbolic: blue for the sea, white for snow and ice, red for human effort and gold for confidence. The triangles represent the island and mainland, while the arrow points to the future. St Andrew's Day St Andrew's Day 30 November The 30th of November is marked in honour of St Andrew, the Patron Saint of Scotland. You might consider serving fish on this day because St Andrew was a fisherman. On the night before St Andrew's Day, single Scottish girls could pray to him for a husband. If a single girl could peel an apple in a whole, unbroken peel and then throw the peel over her shoulder, it would reputedly form where it fell on the floor the first initial of her future husband's name. Special Christmas markets start opening at this time of year. St Andrew's Day was traditionally celebrated more abroad than at home.

It is not a national holiday in Scotland. In fact, in 2004, only about 1/4 of Scots actually knew when the day was. Only in 1996 did St Andrew's, Scotland start holding a St Andrew's week, with music contests, fiddlers, dancing, porridge-making contests and fireworks. The Scottish government is now using the day to promote Scottish culture and trade. The Scottish flag, called the "Saltire", displays the cross of St. Andrew. The cross is also incorporated into the British Union Jack, and into the flag of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The other flag of Scotland, with the lion rampant on it, is the Royal Standard of Scotland. Greece, Romania and Russia also claim St Andrew as a patron saint. History Notes Andrew was a fisherman, like his brother Peter. He and his brother Peter were amongst the 12 apostles. He is said to have to killed by the Romans in Patras, Southern Greece on a X-shaped cross (a "Crux decussata"), thus the X-shape of his cross on the Scottish flag.

Some earlier versions of his life, however, had said the Romans nailed him to an olive tree: the X-shaped cross version doesn't seem to have been introduced until around the 900s. Reputedly St Andrew's cross appeared to an Angus (aka Oengus or Ungus) Macfergus (c. 731-761), leading an army of Picts against Saxon invaders near what is now called Athelstaneford (though much of the story is suspect, never mind the cross appearing in the sky). The Scots were consequently inspired eventually to make his cross the flag of Scotland, with the blue background representing the sky. His bones were moved to Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Constantine. Some of this bones were also taken to Scotland by St Rule (aka St Regulus, though it's highly doubtful such a person existed under either name) or by Bishop Acca of Hexham in 733 AD and placed in a chapel at St Andrews (later a Cathedral started in 1160). The bones were probably destroyed during the Protestant Reformation in Scotland and the Cathedral is now in ruins.

The bones that were left in Constantinople were stolen from it in 1210 by Italians and brought to the church of Sant' Andrea Amalfi, Italy. A piece of shoulder bone was sent back to Scotland in 1879 by the Archbishop of Amalfi. In 1964, Pope Paul VI gave Andrew's head to Patras, Greece, and in 1969, a few more bones to Scottish Cardinal Gordon Gray. In Scotland, his bones are now in St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Edinburgh. Literature & Lore A few books not included in the New Testament because they are considered apocryphal are the Acts of Andrew, Acts of Andrew and Matthias, and Acts of Peter and Andrew. Language Notes Andrew is actually a Greek name, "Andreas", meaning "man" or "manly". All November food days

Question: The flag of which Canadian province includes the cross of St Andrew?
Answer: Nova Scotia