Last modified: 2004-10-30 by phil nelson
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![[Flag of Canada before 1965]](../images/c/ca-1922.gif)
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original by Dean Tiegs - 1997-12-21, some additions inserted at appropriate places.
An admiralty letter to the Colonial Office required colonial warships to
'wear a Union Jack in the usual place, and the White Ensign, with either
the Arms of the Colony, or such other distinguishing mark as may be chosen
by the Colony, and approved by the Colonial Office and the Lords Commissioners
of the Admiralty'.
D. Prothero - 1997-12-22
A distinctive Blue Ensign for the province of Canada is authorized by the U.K. secretary of state for the colonies. I have no idea what its badge looked like. Presumably this Blue Ensign was worn by government-owned vessels.
Colonial Office Circular notifying revised Admiralty requirements for flags
for colonial warships and for other colonial government vessels and requesting
correct drawings of seals or badges to be adopted as distinguishing marks.
D. Prothero - 1997-12-22
Admiralty Circular No. 4,S - any vessel provided and used under section 3
of the Colonial Defence Act 1865 to wear 'the Blue Ensign, with the Seal
or Badge of the Colony in the Fly thereof, and a Blue Pendant' - other vessels
'belonging to, or permanently in the service of the Colonies, but not
commissioned as Vessels of War...shall wear a similar Blue Ensign, but not
the Pendant' - no specific mention of colonial Jacks.
D. Prothero - 1997-12-22
Dominion of Canada formed by confederation of the provinces of Canada (which is divided into Ontario and Quebec on this date), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Presumably the new Dominion adopted the 1865 Blue Ensign of the old province of Canada.
A royal warrant grants arms to the four provinces and creates the Great Seal
of Canada, which is the four provincial arms quarterly.
Though the Great Seal looked like a coat of arms, it technically was not.
The Canadian Red Ensign was probably created shortly after this (without
formal authority) and flown over Parliament, but I have no date for this.
The Nova Scotia arms did not look like the current ones. They were gold with
a wavy blue horizontal bar charged with a silver salmon, with two thistles
above and one below. The Quebec arms were not quite the same as what is commonly
claimed to be the Quebec arms today (the arms have never officially been
changed): the top division was gold with two blue fleurs-de-lis instead of
blue with three gold fleurs-de-lis.
The badge on the Blue Ensign is officially changed to the Great Seal.
Transfer of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory (uniting as the North-West Territories) to Canada and the creation of Manitoba from part of Rupert's Land.
The design of Manitoba's seal finalized: similar to the present arms, but without the rock, with a crown on the cross, and with the buffalo portrayed charging. The Manitoba symbol (and those of the later provinces) was never officially added to the Great Seal. However, this made little d