An independent Canadian knowledge projectPilot collection · EN / FR
Citizen.caCanadian knowledge, verified
Knowledge base/CA-K096
CA-K096Symbols

Red and white: national colours by common use

The national flag flying above the Peace Tower, Ottawa, in 2003.
The national flag flying above the Peace Tower, Ottawa, in 2003. Peace Tower and flag - 2003 (DSC00595) · Sikander Iqbal · Photo source · Photo licence: CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.
Factual accuracy review: No recorded challenge

No recorded challenge is not proof of accuracy. A challenge under review is not a finding that the item is false.

It was long believed that King George V’s 1921 proclamation of Canada’s coat of arms designated red and white as the national colours, but the proclamation contains no such declaration. Canadian Heritage notes that red and white are not set in law as national colours but have become part of national identity through common use.

Scope & context

The legal status of the colours, not the design of the flag (see CA-K008) or the coat of arms (see CA-K060).

Sources behind this record

1
Official symbols of Canada ↗

Canadian Heritage

National colours