Canada: Government Gives In, Agrees To Fly Red Ensign

The Canadian Government has bowed to public pressure and agreed to fly the Canadian Red Ensign in France next month to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the re-dedication of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.

A poll conducted by Ipsos Reid for the Dominion Institute showed that a majority of Canadians (79%) support flying both the modern day Canadian Maple Leaf flag and previous “Red Ensign” Canadian flag at the anniversary ceremony that will be taking place on April 9, 2007.

Canadian government protocol allows no other flag than the Maple Leaf to fly on federal monuments. Various groups have called on the Conservative government to override the protocol and allow both the current Maple Leaf and historic Red Ensign – the flag Canadian troops fought under in World War One – to fly together at the ceremony.

People living in Canada’s Atlantic provinces (89%) were significantly more likely to support flying both flags at Vimy Ridge than most of the other provinces. Those from British Columbia (81%) also showed strong support for flying both flags, while Alberta (76%) and Quebec (76%) showed slightly less.

Different groups of Canadians responded to the proposal as follows:

• Young Canadians 18-34 (82%) were more likely than older Canadians 55+ (77%) to support flying both flags.
• Females (81%) were more likely to support flying both flags than males (76%).
• Rural Canadians (82%) were more likely than Urban Canadians (78%) to support flying both flags.

Levels of Support in Canada’s Provinces for Flying the Red Ensign

British Columbia – 81%

Alberta – 76%

Saskatchewan/Manitoba – 79%

Ontario – 78%

Quebec – 76%

Atlantic – 89%