View source for Flag of Alberta

{{Short description|Flag of Canadian Province}}

{{Infobox flag
| Name = Alberta
| Article = 
| Image = Flag of Alberta.svg
| Noborder = <!-- Leave blank for rectangular flag; for non-rectangular flag, type "no". -->
| Nickname = 
| Morenicks = 
| Use = 110000
| Symbol = 
| Proportion = 1:2
| Adoption = {{start date and age|1968|6|1}}
| Design = An ultramarine blue field with the escutcheon of the Alberta coat of arms in the centre.
| Designer = 
}}
[[File:Flags-of-SK-Canada-AB.jpg|thumb|right|The flag of Alberta flying alongside the flags of [[Flag of Saskatchewan|Saskatchewan]] and [[Flag of Canada|Canada]] in [[Lloydminster]]]]
The '''flag of Alberta''' is an official symbol of the province of [[Alberta]],  Canada. In 1968, the provincial legislature authorized the design of a flag, adopting it on June 1, 1968.<ref name="Emblems Act">{{cite act |type=Act |index=E-6 RSA |date=2000 |article= |article-type= |legislature=Legislative Assembly of Alberta|title=Emblems of Alberta Act |trans-title= |page=3 |url=https://www.qp.alberta.ca/1266.cfm?page=E06.cfm&leg_type=Acts&isbncln=9780779775682|language=english}}</ref> The flag has the proportions 1:2, with the [[Coat of arms of Alberta|provincial coat of arms]] in the centre of an [[ultramarine blue]] background. The shield's height is {{frac|7|11}} that of the flag's height.<ref name="Emblems Act" />

The provincial colours, adopted in 1984, are blue and gold (deep yellow); they are also referred to as "Alberta blue" and "Alberta gold", appearing on the flag/shield in the sky/background and wheat background, respectively.

In 2001, a survey conducted by the [[North American Vexillological Association]] (NAVA) placed the Alberta provincial flag 35th in design quality out of the 72 Canadian provincial, U.S. state, and U.S. territory flags ranked. Out of all Canadian flags, only Ontario and Manitoba ranked lower.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kaye |first1=Ted |date=June 10, 2001 |title=New Mexico tops state/provincial flags survey Georgia loses by wide margin |url=http://www.vexman.net/nnpdf/NN170.pdf |journal=NAVA News |volume=34 |issue=170 |pages=4–5|access-date=November 4, 2020}}</ref>

== Design ==
The flag is the shield of the [[Coat of arms of Alberta]] on an ultramarine field, and is in a 1:2 ratio. The shield represents the natural resources and beauty of the varied Alberta landscape: the [[Rocky Mountains]] and their foothills, the grass [[Prairie|prairies]], and the cultivated wheat fields. [[St George's Cross]] is an allusion to the arms of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]], which once controlled what is now Alberta. By the original flag act that introduced the flag, the shield "shall extend to seven-elevenths of the width of the flag".

=== Colours ===
{{Pantone table|661 C|White|1788 C|Cool Gray 4 C|349 C|106 C}}

The shade of ultramarine specified by the original flag act is Canadian Standard paint colour blue 202-101, but the shade used in practice seems to vary significantly. It appears to be specified as the same shade of blue as the [[flag of the Northwest Territories]]. With the design being a simple shield on blue, it has been likened to the much-maligned design used on many state flags in the neighbouring [[United States]].

==History==
[[File:Shield of Alberta.svg|alt=Shield of Alberta|thumb|Shield of Alberta]]
A [[Warrant (law)|royal warrant]] of King [[Edward VII]] granted the original arms, consisting of only the shield, on 30 May 1907.<ref name="CanHeritage2">{{cite web |title=Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion – Alberta |url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/atc-ac/ab_e.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411235815/http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/atc-ac/ab_e.cfm |archive-date=11 April 2010 |access-date=20 November 2008 |publisher=Canadian Heritage}}</ref> The origin of the design is credited to a Mrs. H. MacCully.<ref name=":0" /> The upper part of the shield features the [[Saint George's Cross|red cross of Saint George]]. The lower portion of the shield depicts the [[Rocky Mountains]], grass prairies, and wheat fields – representing Alberta's landscape.

Around the time of the upcoming [[Canadian Centennial|centennial celebration of Canadian Confederation]] petitions were submitted in November 1966 to Premier [[Ernest Charles Manning]] by the Social Credit Women's Auxiliaries of the [[Alberta Social Credit League]] to give Alberta its own unique flag. The flag was designed and approved as the official provincial flag by the Alberta legislature on June 1, 1968.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Flag of Alberta - Canadian provincial flag |url=http://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Alberta |access-date=February 20, 2018}}</ref> The flag act states the design as  "A blue flag with the shield of the armorial ensigns of the Province centered thereon (as more particularly described in section 3) is hereby appointed and declared as the Flag of Alberta.". Section 3 more specifically says:<ref>[https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/laws/astat/sa-1968-c-31/latest/sa-1968-c-31.html The Flag Act, SA 1968, c 31]</ref>
{{Blockquote|text=1) The Flag shall be of the proportions two by length and one by width.
(2) The blue of the Flag shall be a shade of blue conforming with the Canadian Government Specifications Board, Specification 1-GP-12c-P.II,1965: Standard paint colour — blue 202-101.
(3) The shield centered on the Flag shall extend to seven-elevenths of the width of the Flag.}}
This information was largely repeated and not expounded on in the Emblems of Alberta Act (1980).<ref>[https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/laws/hstat/rsa-1980-c-e-8/latest/rsa-1980-c-e-8.html Emblems of Alberta Act, RSA 1980]</ref>

The [[Calgary Flames]] used the flag as a shoulder patch on their home and away uniforms from 2007 to 2020.<ref> {{cite web |url=https://puckprose.com/2020/10/05/calgary-flames-bring-back-retro-jerseys-full-time/ |title=Calgary Flames Bring Back Retro Jerseys Full-Time |last=Siewert |first=Paige |date=2020 |website=Fansided |access-date=November 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Calgary Flames - The (unofficial) NHL Uniform Database |url=http://www.nhluniforms.com/Flames/FlamesCGY.html |access-date=March 22, 2021 |website=www.nhluniforms.com}}</ref>

== Flag of Lieutenant Governor ==
[[File:Flag of the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta.svg|alt=Flag of lieutenant governor of Alberta|thumb|Flag of Lieutenant governor of Alberta]]
The [[Lieutenant Governor of Alberta]]'s symbol features the shield of Alberta surrounded by golden [[Flag of Canada|Canadian maple leaves]] and a royal crown on top. This is shown on the flag of the lieutenant governor on a field of [[royal blue]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lieutenant Governor of Alberta |url=https://lieutenantgovernor.ab.ca/role/symbols-and-protocol/symbols/ |access-date=2025-09-09 |website=lieutenantgovernor.ab.ca}}</ref> The flag is flown from the roof of the [[Alberta Legislature Building]] when the lieutenant governor is in residence, alongside the provincial flag, the Canadian flag, and the [[Union Jack]]. The [[Governor General of Canada]] approved the flag in 1981.

According to the official guidelines, the flag is not to be flown inside a building when the governor is on the premises of the legislature building. It is never to be flown on or inside a church and never to be lowered to [[half-mast]]. On the death of a Lieutenant Governor, while in office, the flag is taken down until a successor is sworn in. The Lieutenant Governor's flag "has precedence" over all other flags in Alberta, except for the [[Royal flags of Canada]] and the Governor General's Flag. However, upon the occasion of a visit by either a royal dignitary or the governor general, their flag does not replace the lieutenant governor's in the legislature building. The Lieutenant governor's flag has precedence over any member of the Royal Family except for [[Charles III|The King]].

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Flag of the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta (1907–1981).svg|Flag of the lieutenant governor of Alberta (1907–1981)
File:Flag of the Franco Albertains.svg|[[Franco-Albertan flag|Flag]] of [[Franco-Albertan]]s
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols]]
*[[Coat of arms of Alberta]]
*[[Symbols of Alberta]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Franco, Guida (2006). Canadian Almanac & Directory 2006. Toronto: Micromedia ProQuest. {{ISBN|1-895021-90-1}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Flag of Alberta}}

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061206054522/https://www.assembly.ab.ca/pub/gdbook/Part5/page17.htm Legislative Assembly of Alberta – The Citizen's Guide to the Alberta Legislature, Part V: The Emblems of Alberta]
* [http://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=1206 Arms and flag of Alberta] in the online Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges

{{CanadaFlags}}
{{Topics on Alberta}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Alberta, Flag of}}
[[Category:Flags of Alberta|*]]
[[Category:Provincial symbols of Alberta|Flag]]
[[Category:Flags of Canada]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1968]]
[[Category:Blue flags]]