WINNIPEG

Push to redesign Manitoba flag to commemorate 150th anniversary

Touria Izri CTV News Winnipeg
Published Sunday, February 2, 2020 8:11PM CST Last Updated Wednesday, February 5, 2020 10:39AM CST

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WINNIPEG -- A familiar debate is hanging over Manitoba about whether to change the provincial flag.

“Maybe it’s time to commemorate the province with a new flag,” said resident James Anderson outside the provincial legislature.

As Manitoba marks its 150th anniversary, there is a renewed push for a redesign. Shayne Campbell, president of the Argyle museum “Settlers, Rails and Trails,” which has one of Canada’s largest collections of flags, said it may be time for a makeover.

“As people change, history changes. You look at more modern versions of flags and you say ‘Oh wow! Our flag should be a lot cleaner, more stylized.’ Of course, the Manitoba flag is neither of those,” said Campbell.

There have been several attempts to change the provincial flag since it began flying in the 1960s.

“When the federal government came up with a brand new Canadian flag, the provincial government at the time wasn’t super happy, so what they decided to do was to use the former Canadian red ensign and they put the Manitoba coat of arms… with a Manitoba bison on a green field,” said Campbell.

Robert Coutts, chief editor of the Prairie History Journal, said the current flag is outdated.

“The current flag… is not only a tired design, but does little to reflect not only Indigenous, French, Anglo and multicultural historical traditions of the province, but does visually convey what the province is today. Having the Union Jack so prominent… speaks to an unfortunate colonial history and not the present diversity of the province,” said Coutts in an email to CTV News.

Another criticism of the flag is that is looks similar to that of Ontario. Ted Kaye, secretary of the North American Vexillological Association and author of “Good Flag, Bad flag” said they are “indistinguishable from each other.”

However, some Manitobans like the flag as is.

“It looks very good to me and I’m an old-fashioned person. So that is why I like it to stay like this,” said Amy, a 20-year-resident of Manitoba, who did not give her last name.

The province said it has no plans to change the flag. But if there was a new version, Kaye suggested dropping the Union Jack.

“The bison is a wonderful symbol of Manitoba. If it were the dominant symbol on the flag, Manitoba’s flag would be much more successful.

“The best flags represent everyone, the same way the Maple Leaf on the Canadian Flag represents everybody in Canada,” said Kaye. “The Manitoba flag has an opportunity to represent all Manitobans.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for the province said the Red Ensign-variation design of Manitoba’s flag was approved in the Manitoba Legislative Assembly in 1965.

“The Red Ensign on the Manitoba flag was seen as a way to preserve the rich heritage that many felt was lost after the Maple Leaf flag replaced the Canadian Red Ensign, on February 15, 1965,” the statement said, before detailing the meaning of the symbols on it.

“The original Coat of Arms that is displayed on the Manitoba Flag is based the 1870 Great Seal of Manitoba. The Great Seal of Manitoba incorporates both the Cross of St. George and the Manitoba Plains Bison (Bovidae Bison Bison). The bison represents the Indigenous peoples of Manitoba, as bison herds sustained the First Nations and Metis people living on The Great Plains of North America, including the Manitoba Prairies. The Cross of St. George is found on the arms of the Hudson’s Bay Company, which originally governed the territory from which Manitoba was established.”