The flag of the governor general of Canada is a
flag used as a symbol to mark the presence of the
governor general of Canada
The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, ...
. Such a flag has been used by governors general since just after
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Dominion ...
and the design has altered over decades. The current flag was adopted in 1981.
Design
The first governor general's flag was adopted in 1870 and followed the design of other viceregal flags in use throughout the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
at the time: a
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. ...
defaced with the shield of the
coat of arms of Canada
The Arms of Canada (french: Armoiries du Canada, links=no), also known as the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada (french: armoiries royales du Canada, links=no) or formally as the Arms of His Majesty the King in Right of Canada (french: Armoiries de Sa M ...
; though, in contrast to other imperial governors, the wreath surrounding the central badge was one of maple instead of laurel leaves. The design was updated in 1921, to incorporate changes to the appearance of Canada's coat of arms, and again in 1931, to reflect developments in Canada's constitutional structure brought about by the
Statute of Westminster, whereby the governor general became the personal representative of the
monarch of Canada
The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional Canadian federalism, federal structure and Westminster system, Westminster-style Parliamentar ...
, rather than a representative of the British monarch in Canada, as it was previously.
The current flag was first introduced in 1981 and comprises the
crest
Crest or CREST may refer to:
Buildings
*The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York
*"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York
*Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
of the
royal coat of arms of Canada
The Arms of Canada (french: Armoiries du Canada, links=no), also known as the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada (french: armoiries royales du Canada, links=no) or formally as the Arms of His Majesty the King in Right of Canada (french: Armoiries de Sa M ...
—a crowned lion holding a red maple leaf in its paw, standing on a wreath of red and white (Canada's official colours)—on a blue background. This design differs from that of the flags of
governors-general
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
in the other
Commonwealth realms; most feature the royal crest of the
arms of the United Kingdom
The royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, or the royal arms for short, is the arms of dominion of the British monarch, currently King Charles III. These arms are used by the King in his official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom. Vari ...
above a scroll bearing the relevant country's name; the
flag of the governor-general of New Zealand
The flag of the governor-general of New Zealand is an official flag of New Zealand and is flown continuously on buildings and other locations when a governor-general is present. The flag in its present form was adopted in 2008 and is a blue field ...
displays the crowned shield of the
coat of arms of New Zealand on a blue field.
While
Roméo LeBlanc
Roméo-Adrien LeBlanc (December 18, 1927June 24, 2009) was a Canadian journalist, politician and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 25th since Canadian Confederation.
LeBlanc was born and educated in New Brunswick, and also ...
served as governor general (1995-1999), the flag was, at LeBlanc's direction, modified: the lion's tongue and claws were removed, which made the animal appear, in LeBlanc's opinion, more "Canadian".
These changes were reversed in 2002.
Use
The flag is flown from the governor general's official residences—
Rideau Hall
Rideau Hall (officially Government House) is the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and their representative, the governor general of Canada. It stands in Canada's capital on a estate at 1 Sussex Drive, with the main b ...
and
La Citadelle
The Citadelle of Quebec (french: Citadelle de Québec), also known as ''La Citadelle'', is an active military installation and the secondary official residence of both the Canadian monarch and the governor general of Canada. It is located atop Ca ...
—and any other building the governor general is visiting. It may also be flown from any vehicle being used by the governor general. On overseas visits, the
national flag is used to identify the governor general.
The flag takes precedence over the National Flag and the personal standards of any member of the
royal family other than the sovereign, but not ahead of the
royal standard
In heraldry and vexillology, a heraldic flag is a flag containing coats of arms, heraldic badges, or other devices used for personal identification.
Heraldic flags include banners, standards, pennons and their variants, gonfalons, guidons, and ...
or the flag of a
lieutenant governor of a province at a function hosted by that lieutenant governor.
Legal
The flag is protected under the Trade-marks Act; Section 9(c) states:
Historical versions
See also
*
Canadian royal symbols
Canadian royal symbols are the visual and auditory identifiers of the Canadian monarchy, including the viceroys, in the country's federal and provincial jurisdictions. These may specifically distinguish organizations that derive their authority f ...
*
Flags of the lieutenant governors of Canada
*
List of Canadian flags
The Department of Canadian Heritage lays out protocol guidelines for the display of flags, including an order of precedence; these instructions are only conventional, however, and are generally intended to show respect for what are considered imp ...
*
National symbols of Canada
Over the course of centuries, a multitude of national symbols and material items have arisen as uniquely Canadian or possessing uniquely Canadian characteristics. These symbols and items represent the culture of Canada— protectionism of that cu ...
References
External links
Governor General's Flag– Governor General's official website
''Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges'': Governor General of Canada ''The Flags of Canada'', by Alistair B. Fraser
{{Flags, Banners and Standards of Heads of State and Government
Governor General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...
Flags displaying animals