Flag of Newfoundland and Labrador.html |
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| Use | Civil and state flag  |
| Proportion | 1:2 |
| Adopted | 28 May 1980 |
| Designed by | Christopher Pratt |
The flag of Newfoundland and Labrador was introduced in 1980, and was designed by Newfoundland artist Christopher Pratt. The flag design, with the proportions 2:1, was approved by the House of Assembly of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, on May 28, 1980. It was flown for the first time on Discovery Day; June 24, 1980.
The design was chosen due to its broad symbolism. The blue colour represents the sea, the white colour represents snow and ice of winter, the red colour represents the effort and struggle of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and the gold colour symbolizes the confidence Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have in themselves and for the future.
The blue triangles are meant as a tribute to the Union Flag, and stand for the British heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador. The two red triangles are meant to represent the two areas of the province — the mainland and the island. The gold arrow, according to Pratt, points towards a "brighter future"; the arrow becomes a sword, honouring the sacrifices of Newfoundlanders in military service when the flag is draped as a vertical banner. The red triangles and the gold arrow form a trident, symbolizing the province's dependence on its fisheries and the resources of the sea.1
Contents |
Origins of the flag
In the late 1970s, the Premier of the province, Brian Peckford, appointed a "Newfoundland and Labrador Flag Committee" to choose a flag to replace the Union Flag that the province had used as its provincial flag since joining Canadian Confederation in 1949.
The most popular contender for the provincial flag was the pink-white-green tricolour. Also called, the Newfoundland Native Flag, is the second oldest flag in the Commonwealth after the Union Flag. Although it appears to be similar to the Irish tricolour, the Newfoundland tricolour predates the Irish tricolour by five years and is the oldest flag in the world to use the color pink.
The Newfoundland Historic Trust, the Newfoundland Historical Society, and the St. John's Folk Arts Council submitted a joint brief to the Flag Committee of the House of Assembly unanimously recommending the adoption of the tricolour as the flag of Newfoundland. The committee refused to take their advice and instead, the committee chose the Christopher Pratt flag, which was derided by opponents as "the Golden Shaft".
Newfoundland Tricolour
TricolourA popular but unofficial flag is "Newfoundland's Native Flag", which is a tricolour flag. Its colours are Vert, Argent and Rose, but it is commonly known as the "Pink, White and Green". The flag exists in Canadian heraldry. Its trice is present in the flag of the St. John's Fire Department and in the municipal flag of Paradise, Newfoundland; it also appears on the crests or escutcheons of some armorial bearings portrayed in the Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada.
"Newfoundland's Native Flag" came into being in the 1840's. It was displayed when the Prince of Wales visited. It was also flown at Government House by two different colonial governors. The Native Flag was superannuated when the British Parliament legislated a Civil Ensign for Newfoundland in 1904, which was a Red Ensign defaced with the Great Seal of Newfoundland. Newfoundland's Native Flag has the proportions 2:1 and with each stripe occupying equal thirds of the flag length, the flag is reportedly symbolic of a tradition between local ethnically-English Protestants (represented by the rose-colour) and ethnically-Irish Catholics (represented by the green). The Vert is said to represent the flag of Brian Boru, the Azur symbolizes the Rose of England and the Argent represents the peace between them, or the Cross of Saint Andrew. The flag fell out of use, but gained a sentimental resurgence in the 1970s and again in the 2000s.
In 2006, Shanneyganock a Newfoundland music group influenced by Irish/Celtic music released a popular arrangement of Archbishop Michael F. Howley's 1902 "Flag of Newfoundland" promoting the Newfoundland Tricolour on their award winning album "Fling Out The Flag." Shanneyganock's lyrics and music along with a recording of the song may be found on the GEST Songs Of Newfoundland And Labrador website
Newfoundland Ensigns
  Red Ensign |
 Blue Ensign |
The Red Ensign was officially endorsed by King Charles II in 1674. It served as the Colony of Newfoundland's Civil ensign. The standard served as the only official colonial flag until the reign of Queen Victoria. Old oil paintings show red ensigns flying from the topmasts of Grand Banks schooners. While 19th century photographs show red ensigns flown at Moravian mission stations and Hudson's Bay Company trading posts along the Labrador Coast.
In 1904, the British Parliament designated a Civil ensign specifically for Newfoundland. The Red and Blue Ensigns with the Great Seal of Newfoundland in the fly were the dominion's official flags from 1904 until 1931. The Red Ensign was to be flown by merchant shipping while the blue was to be flown by governmental ships.2
Neither ensign was ever formally adopted by the Newfoundland National Assembly, which sat at the Colonial Building in St. John's but it gained wide enough use, both at sea and on land, to be considered the unofficial national flag. The badge in the flag consists of Mercury, the God of Commerce and Merchandise, presenting to Britannia a fisherman who, in a kneeling attitude, is offering the harvest of all the sea. Above the device in a scroll are the words ' Terra Nova ', and below the motto Haec Tibi Dona Fero or "These gifts I bring thee." The seal was redesigned by Adelaine Lane, niece of Governor Sir Cavendish Boyle.
Union Flag
The old flag of Newfoundland was the Union Flag. It was adopted in 1931 and used until the suspension of responsible government in 1934. It was readopted as the official provincial flag in 1952, and used until 1980. The Newfoundland and Labrador branch of the Royal Canadian Legion to this day does not recognize the new Newfoundland flag as the flag of Newfoundland.citation needed It contends that during both world wars, Newfoundland soldiers fought under the Union Flag of the dominion. The legion displays the Union Flag at all of its official functions.
Franco-Terreneuvien flag
The flag of the Fédération des Francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador is based on the French tricolour and Acadian flag, with three unequal panels of blue, white, and red. Two yellow sails are set on the line between the white and red panels. The sail on top is charged with a spruce twig, while the bottom sail is charged with a pitcher flower. These emblems are outlined in black.
The sails represent early Basque, Breton, and French fishermen that came to the area in 1504. At the same time, they are symbols of action and progress. The yellow is taken from the star of the Acadian flag. The spruce twig is the emblem of Labrador and is also found on the Labrador flag. Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial flower is the insect-eating pitcher plant.
Labrador flag
The Labrador Flag was created by the Member of the House of Assembly for Labrador South, Mike Martin in 1974. Martin did so as an affront of political mischief aimed at Joey Smallwood and his indifference to Labrador. As Martin is from Cartwright, the town now proclaims itself the "Birthplace of the Labrador Flag". The flag was presented to Labrador community councils, and to the Labrador members of the House of Assembly, in April 1974.
Nunatsiavut flag
The self-governing Inuit region of Nunatsiavut has its own flag: The flag of Nunatsiavut is the flag adopted by the Labrador Inuit Association to represent the Inuit of Labrador and their new Land Claims Settlement Area called Nunatsiavut. The flag features the traditional Inuit Inukshuk coloured white, blue, and green echoing the flag of Labrador.
See also
External links
- Some Personal Observations And Some Historical Facts About The Labrador Flag (Carl S. Gurtman, 1996, New England Journal of Vexillology)
References
- ^ About Newfoundland and Labrador - Provincial Flag
- ^ Alistair B. Fraser, Flags of Canada, 1998.
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