Résumés
Abstract
This article offers the first published account of the origins of the Flag of Ontario. Proclaimed in May 1965, the Ontario provincial flag (like that of Manitoba) was a consequence of the preceding national flag debate. Sometimes dismissed as an act of rebellion against the new Canadian flag, the new provincial flag was largely welcomed by a receptive Ontario public. The loss of the Canadian Red Ensign, a long-respected and familiar symbol for much of English Canada, was deeply felt by many. Much of Ontario was ambivalent about changing the national flag and the adoption of a provincial Red Ensign was held by some to be an act of compromise, easing the acceptance of the new Flag of Canada after a divisive national debate. This article also brings to light several less well-known, ultimately unsuccessful flag proposals for Ontario that arose in the early 1960s.
