Манитоба провинциясының туы және тарихы

Flag of the Canadian province of Manitoba

The flag of Manitoba consists of a Red Ensign defaced with the shield of the provincial coat of arms. Adopted in 1965 shortly after the new national flag was inaugurated, it has been the flag of the province since May 12 of the following year. Its adoption was intended to maintain the legacy of the Canadian Red Ensign as the country's unofficial flag, after the adoption of the Maple Leaf Flag in 1965. Manitoba's flag has been frequently mistaken for the flag of the neighbouring province of Ontario, which is also a Red Ensign with its respective coat of arms. This, along with criticisms of a lack of inclusivity of the flag, has led some Manitobans to call for a new and more distinct flag.

The Manitoba Act received royal assent on May 12, 1870, allowing for the creation of the province of Manitoba; it officially joined Confederation two months later on July 15. On August 2 of that same year, an Order in Council was promulgated to establish a seal for the new province. It featured the Cross of Saint George at the chief and a bison on a green field for the lower portion. Subsequently, King Edward VII issued a Royal Warrant on May 10, 1905, allowing Manitoba to utilize their own coat of arms. At the time, this consisted solely of a shield identical to the Great Seal of the province. The Great Canadian Flag Debate that preceded this change showed there were still parts of Canada where imperialist nostalgia was strong. Lamenting the demise of the Canadian Red Ensign, its proponents in those regions endeavoured to have it modified as a provincial flag. Resistance to the new national flag was most vociferous in the rural areas of Manitoba and Ontario. Consequently, both provinces chose to incorporate the Red Ensign into their official flags. In Manitoba, Maitland Steinkopf – the Provincial Secretary at the time – favoured a contest to design a provincial flag from scratch. In order to meet halfway with those who wanted to utilize the Canadian Red Ensign as Manitoba's flag without modification, the Red Ensign was selected but the provincial shield was employed instead of the national one. It finished in 44th place out of 72 – one spot behind Ontario's flag – and finished last among Canadian flags. The Association was of the opinion that the flag lacked distinctiveness. It recommended making the bison as a central figure, as well as doing away with the Union Jack in the canton.

Due to the similarities shared by the Manitoba flag with the flag of neighbouring Ontario – with the bottom part of their escutcheons being the sole difference – the two pennants have often been mistaken for one another. Others have complained that it is an anachronistic remnant of British colonial rule over Manitoba. A motion calling for a change to the flag was put forward on the program at the provincial New Democratic Party's annual convention in March 2009. Coupled with the fact that the Progressive Conservative Party – which in 2016 won the largest majority in the province's history and were re elected in 2019 – are in favour of the status quo given its connection to Manitoba's origins, the prospect of changing the flag in the near future appears to be remote.

Advice regarding flag etiquette is the responsibility of the province's Protocol Office. When flown together with the flag of Canada and the other provincial and territorial flags, the flag of Manitoba is sixth in the order of precedence (after the national flag and, in descending order of precedence, the flags of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick). This is because it was the fifth province to enter into Confederation, and the first one to join after the establishment of the Dominion on July 1, 1867. In addition to the dates set out by the federal government for flying flags at half mast, the provincial flag is half masted upon the death of the Lieutenant Governor or premier (either an incumbent or a previous one) and may also be flown in such a manner when an individual honoured by Manitoba dies. Moreover, the flags situated at the province's Legislative Building are lowered to half mast upon the death of a soldier who was born or raised in Manitoba, or who was last stationed in the province before being deployed abroad.