Alberta, flag of

▪ Flag History

      Canadian provincial flag consisting of a blue field (background) with the provincial coat of arms (arms, coat of) in the centre. The crest includes (from bottom to top) the typical wheat fields of the province, rough prairie land, foothills, and finally the Rocky Mountains under a blue sky. At the very top of the shield is the red Cross of St. George, recalling the English settlement of the region.

      In 1905 Alberta became a Canadian province, and a naturalistic scene was proposed for its new coat of arms. The design was not immediately accepted, however, because of objections by the College of Arms (the English body to which Canada deferred most heraldic matters in that era). On May 30, 1907, the design was established by royal warrant.

      In anticipation of the centennial of Canadian confederation, petitions were submitted in November 1966 to Premier Ernest Charles Manning by the Social Credit Women's Auxiliaries of the Alberta Social Credit League, calling for a distinctive Alberta flag. Approved as the provincial “banner” (for use everywhere except on public buildings) on January 17, 1967, the new design consisted of the shield of the province on a plain blue background, whose symbolism was not explained. This centennial flag was subsequently made the official provincial flag by the legislature on June 1, 1968. The design of the coat of arms is attributed to Mrs. H. MacCully; it was augmented in a royal warrant dated July 30, 1980, by a crest, motto, and supporters. Those design elements were not added to the flag, however.

Whitney Smith

 

* * *