Flag of Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan
UseCivil and state flag
Proportion1:2
Adopted22 September 1969 (1969-09-22)
Designed byAnthony Drake

The provincial flag of Saskatchewan was adopted in 1969. Its upper half is green and contains the coat of arms of Saskatchewan, and its lower half is yellow. In the fly of the flag is a western red lily, the provincial flower. In 2017, The Minister of Parks, Culture and Sports designated 22 September as Saskatchewan Flag Day.[1]

Design

The flag is blazoned: Per fess vert and or, in the fly a prairie lily slipped and leaved proper, in the dexter chief an escutcheon of the coat of arms of Saskatchewan fimbriated argent.

The green upper half represents the province's forested north, while the yellow represents the grain fields found in the south. The red prairie lily is the provincial flower of Saskatchewan.[2]

History

The idea for a provincial flag was first advanced in December 1963 by Albert Watson, the executive director of the Saskatchewan Jubilee and Centennial Corporation. Mindful of the sensitivities surrounding the national flag debate, he expressed his hope that a provincial flag could be designed by 1965 as part of the province's commemorations.[3] An open contest was announced by the government the following May. A prize of $500 was offered to the winning design, which had to incorporate the colours of the province's coat of arms.[4] On 17 December 1964, it was revealed that Sister Imelda of St. Angela's Convent of Prelate designed the winning flag, being selected from 241 other entries.[5] By the December announcement, the flag was being referred to as a jubilee flag and was first hoisted on 31 January 1965.

The flag was blazoned per fess gules and vert, in the fly an escutcheon of the Arms of Saskatchewan fimbriated or, in the hoist a stalk of wheat or. The red in the top half symbolizes the fires that used to rage through the prairies in the years before cultivation, the green represents the luxuriant growth, and the gold representing the ripening the wheat fields.[6] The use of this flag extended beyond 1965 into the 1967 Canadian Centennial celebrations, and it was widely flown, as if it were the provincial flag. The flag's sponsors hoped it would officially declared the province's flag. However, it did not gain greater public acceptance and another contest was held for a provincial flag.[7]

The official flag of Saskatchewan was adopted on 22 September 1969, the result of a province-wide competition that drew over 4,000 entries. The winning entry was one of the 13 designed by Anthony Drake of Hodgeville, Saskatchewan. Drake came and left Saskatchewan from the United Kingdom and did not have an opportunity to see his winning design fly until returning to Hodgeville.[8] Saskatchewan politician Percy Schmeiser was on the flag committee in 1969 during his time as member of the Legislative Assembly and was at the inaugural flag raising ceremony, unlike Anthony Drake. The two finally met when Drake returned in 2019.[9]

Other flags

Fransaskois flag

This flag used to represent the heritage of the French speakers of Saskatchewan and is blazoned Or a cross enhanced throughout vert, its vertical beam to the hoist, in the fly a fleur-de-lis gules its traverse vert.[10]

The symbolism within the Fransaskois flag is mostly the same as the provincial flag with the yellow and green representing the wheat and the forests respectively. However, with the addition of the cross alluding to the role that the Catholic Church and the many missionaries had in settling what is now the province of Saskatchewan and the fleur-de-lis which represents the Francophone population globally; it is coloured red to show the fighting courage in the battle of preserving the rights of their culture and language; it makes the flag distinguishable enough to stand out on its own.[10]

Flag of the lieutenant governor

The lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan is a viceregal representative of the monarch of Canada and thus has their own flag. It has precedence over any other flag except the sovereign's flag for Canada and the flag of the governor general of Canada, unless the governor general is a guest of the lieutenant governor. This flag is flown at the home and office of the lieutenant governor as well as any buildings that may conduct official duties.

It is blazoned Azure the shield of Arms of the Province of Saskatchewan ensigned with the Royal Crown proper and encircled by a wreath of maple leaves Or.[11]

  • The flag of Saskatchewan flying alongside the flags of Canada and Alberta in Lloydminster
  • Flag of the Fransaskois
  • The Vice Regal Standard over the Saskatchewan Legislative Building at the installation of W. Thomas Molloy
  • Flag of the lieutenant-governor of Saskatchewan (1906–1981)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Special Days/Jours Spéciaux" (PDF). The Saskatchewan Gazette. 113 (37): 1748. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  2. ^ The Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette (15 November 2010). "Province of Saskatchewan". Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Real Scope for Argument! Provincial Flag for '65!". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. 31 December 1963. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  4. ^ "Flag contest". Winnipeg Tribune. 4 May 1964. p. 4. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  5. ^ "Saskatchewan jubilee flag red, green, yellow". Regina Leader-Post. 17 December 1964. p. 1. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  6. ^ Saskatchewan Centennial Flag. Ottawa: Department of the Secretary of State of Canada. 1967. p. 59.
  7. ^ Fraser, Alistair (1994). "Saskatchewan". The Flags of Canada. Retrieved 21 February 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Chabun, Will (11 May 2016). "The weird and wonderful story of Saskatchewan's provincial flag". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  9. ^ Millar, Ceilidh (19 July 2019). "Saskatchewan flag pioneers meet for first time after 50 years". Global News. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  10. ^ a b The Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette (15 August 2018). "Fransaskois Flag". Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  11. ^ The Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette (15 March 2005). "Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan". Retrieved 25 September 2019.
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