Franco-Albertan flag

The Franco-Albertan flag is a symbol used to represent Franco-Albertans. The flag features several colours and elements relating to the province of Alberta as well as the Francophonie. The colour white and a white fleur-de-lys is used to represent French culture, whereas the red-coloured wild rose and the colour blue is used to represent the province of Alberta.

Franco-Albertan flag
Adopted6 March 1982[note 1]
Designed byJean-Pierre Grenier

Design

The flag is charged with a white fleur-de-lys, with the symbol and the colour white used to represent the Francophonie and French culture.[2][3] The provincial flower of Alberta, a red-coloured wild rose, and the colour blue is used to represent the province of Alberta. The flag also features two diagonal bands that represent the waterways used by French Canadian pioneers who explored and settled the province.[2][4]

History

The flag was created by Jean-Pierre Grenier, who submitted the design for a competition held by Francophonie jeunesse de l’Alberta. The flag was first unveiled at the Congrès Annuel de l’Association Canadienne-Francaise de l’Alberta on 6 March 1982.[3][5]

The Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta has organized Franco-Albertan flag-raising ceremonies on the first Friday of March since 2009.[5][6]

In June 2017, the flag was formally adopted as a "Symbol of Distinction" and an emblem for Franco-Albertans by the government of Alberta as a part of the province's first French-language policy.[1][7] The flag was registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority on 15 August 2018.[2]

The government of Alberta raised the Franco-Alberta flag for one month in March 2018, in commemoration of Francophone month in Alberta.[8] However, the government of Alberta later adopted a resolution in August 2019, limiting the time a flag representing specific groups could fly at the legislature. After the resolution, the Franco-Albertan flag was only flown outside the Alberta Legislature Building for one day each year.[9]

See also

Notes
  1. The following date was when the flag was created. The flag was later adopted as a "Symbol of Distinction" by the government of Alberta in June 2017.[1] The flag was registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority on 15 August 2018.[2]

References
  1. "Franco-Albertan flag". alberta.ca. Government of Alberta. 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  2. "Franco-Albertan Flag". reg.gg.ca. The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  3. "The Franco-Albertan flag flies for the first time". clo-ocol.gc.ca. Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  4. "Flags to rise for Rendez-vous de la Francophonie". morinvillenews.com. Pawn Marketing & Publishing Inc. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  5. Kreiner, Gabriel (24 January 2018). "The Franco-Albertan Flag: A Symbol of Francophone Pride". Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  6. Henihan, Tom (12 March 2019). "The sky was blue, white and pink at the Franco-Albertan flag-raising ceremony". smokyriverexpress.com. Smoky River Peace River Express. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  7. Dupuis, Serge. "Francophones of Alberta (Franco-Albertains)". Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  8. "Le drapeau franco-albertain remplacé en moins de 24 heures". ici.radio-canada.ca (in French). Société Radio‑Canada. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  9. Pirot, Laurent (5 March 2020). "L'ACFA déçue de voir le drapeau franco-albertain retiré si tôt". ici.radio-canada.ca (in French). Société Radio‑Canada. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
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