Newfoundland and Labrador, flag of

▪ Flag History

      Canadian provincial flag consisting of a white field (background) bearing four blue triangles at the hoist, two longer white triangles outlined in red, and a stylized gold-and-red arrow pointing toward the fly end.

      English fishermen worked off the shores of the island of Newfoundland (Newfoundland and Labrador) from the late 16th century, and a naval governor was appointed for the area in 1729. In the 1840s an unofficial local flag was developed with stripes of green, white, and pink to symbolize the Irish, Scots, and English. The colony also had several ensigns with badges, similar to those used in other British colonies. Newfoundland maintained very close links with Great Britain and remained separate from Canada until 1949. It made the Union Jack (United Kingdom, flag of the) its national flag on May 15, 1931.

      The current provincial flag bears some similarity to the Union Jack. According to the designer, the renowned Newfoundland artist Christopher Pratt, its white is for snow and ice, blue for the sea, red for human effort, and yellow for self-confidence. The blue areas suggest the importance of British heritage, while red and yellow in the shape of a “golden arrow” stand for the future. The red-bordered white triangles refer to the two main parts of the province—Newfoundland itself and the adjacent mainland territory of Labrador. Other symbols reflected in the abstract design include a trident to emphasize dependence on the sea, native Indian ornamentation, a maple leaf, and the Christian cross. Despite extensive criticism of the design, the new flag was officially adopted in May 1980, and it was hoisted for the first time on June 24, 1980.

Whitney Smith

 

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