Canadian Red Ensign - Use Today

Use Today

The Canadian Red Ensign continues to be flown by some Canadians, especially monarchists, other traditionalists, and those who cherish Canada's British heritage. The Canadian Red Ensign is part of the official colour party (together with the Maple Leaf) of the Royal Canadian Legion, and by many individual Canadians, especially in parts of the country populated by the descendants of United Empire Loyalists. A Red Ensign (currently the 1868 version donated by the Royal Canadian Legion) will now be permanently flown alongside the Maple Leaf Flag at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial following its re-dedication in April 2007. Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the decision after lobbying by veterans groups and then-Parliamentary Secretary Jason Kenney. Supporters of the decision noted that the Red Ensign was the flag under which the Canadian Army had fought and that numerous other Canadian war memorials and historical sites fly relevant historical flags. Critics, including Liberal senators Marcel Prud'homme and Roméo Dallaire, attacked the move, saying the old flag belongs in a museum, not on a flagpole. "What's happening at Vimy is a dangerous precedent because it could lead to the officialization of all sorts of flags," Prud'homme said.