Tartans

• The beaver
• The maple tree
• The maple leaf
• National colors
• Origin of the Name - Canada
• Tartans
• Personal flags and standards of Canada
• The Great Seal

1. Maple leaf * 2. Newfoundland * 3. Prince Edward Island 4. Nova Scotia 5. New Brunswick 6. Quebec * 7. Ontario * 8. Manitoba 9. Saskatchewan 10. Alberta 11. British Columbia 12. Northwest Territories 13. Yukon * * not official tartans

Official tartans

Nova Scotia

The Nova Scotia tartan was designed by Mrs. Bessie Murray. It was registered in the books of the Court of the Lord Lyon on March 7, 1956 and adopted as the official tartan of the province under the authority of the Nova Scotia Tartan Act in 1963. Represented in the design are the blue of sea and sky, the dark and light greens of evergreens and deciduous trees characteristic of the province, the white of rocks and coastline surf, the gold of Nova Scotia's Royal Charter and the red symbolizing the lion rampant on the Nova Scotia crest.

New Brunswick

The New Brunswick tartan was designed by the Loomcrofters of Gagetown, New Brunswick. The design was adopted as the official tartan by Order in Council in 1959. The tartan is registered at the Court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms of Scotland. Represented in the design are the forest green of lumbering; the meadow green of agriculture; the blue of coastal and inland waters; and an interweaving of gold, symbol of the province's potential wealth. The red blocks signify the loyalty and devotion of the early Loyalist settlers and the New Brunswick Regiment.

Manitoba

The Manitoba tartan, designed by Hugh Kirkwood Rankine was registered at the Court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms of Scotland, was given Royal Assent on May 1, 1962. The red squares represent the Red River Settlement; the green squares signify the natural resources of the province; the azure blue squares represent Lord Selkirk, the founder of the Red River Settlement; the dark green lines represent the people of different cultures and races who have enriched the life of the province; and the golden lines signify the grain and other agricultural products of Manitoba.

British Columbia

The province's tartan was designed by Earl K. Ward of Victoria and officially approved by the British Columbia Centennial Committee for the 1966-67 Centenaries. Represented in the design are the blue of the Pacific Ocean, the green of the forests, the red of the maple leaf, the white of the dogwood floral emblem, and the gold of the crown and sun in the provincial arms.

Prince Edward Island

Mrs. Jean Reid of Covehead designed the Prince Edward Island tartan which was adopted after a province wide contest of
June 16, 1960. The reddish-brown signifies the redness of the soil, the green represents the grass and trees, the white is for the caps on the waves, the yellow for the sun.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan's official tartan, registered at the Court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms of Scotland, was designed by Mrs. Frank L. Bastedo, the wife of a former lieutenant governor. The tartan has seven colours with gold representing prairie wheat; brown for summerfallow; green for the forests; red for the prairie lily; yellow for rapeseed flower and sun flower; white for snow; and black for oil and coal.

Alberta

Designed by the Edmonton Rehabilitation Society for the Handicapped, the Alberta tartan was given official recognition by an Act of the Legislature assented to March 30, 1961. The predominant colours are green for the province's forests and gold for its fields of wheat. Other attributes of the province are represented by blue for the skies and lakes, pink for the wild rose, and black for the mineral resources of coal and petroleum.

Northwest Territories

The official tartan of the Northwest Territories designed by
Mrs. Janet Anderson Thomson was unveiled at the 48th Session of the Territorial Council in January of 1973. The new tartan is in the traditional design with colours of green and brown and shades of red.

Yukon

The tartan was designed in 1965 by Janet Couture, of Faro and was officially registered by Lord Lyon, King of Arms of Her Majesty's Register House in Edinburgh on October 24, 1984. A Yukon Tartan Act was passed during the fourth session of the 25th Legislature on November 29, 1984. Yukoner's pride in the territory is reflected in the brilliant colours of the Yukon tartan. This unique design incorporates stripes in varying widths of green, magenta, white, yellow, and purple on a crystalline blue background. The blue represents the Yukon's sparkling, glacier fed waters and its clear mountain skies. Magenta reflects the colour of the Yukon's floral emblem, the firewood of late summer. Green is symbolic of Yukon's great expanses of wilderness forest and purple symbolizes the majestic thrust of mountains into the northern sky. White represents the purity of the winter snow that crowns the mountain peaks and blankets the alpine meadows. The yellow represents the long, soft evenings of the midnight sun, and the Yukon's famous deposits of gold.
Non official tartans

Maple leaf

The colours of the maple leaf through the changing seasons became the basis for the tartan designed by David Weiser in 1964. Known officially as the Maple leaf tartan, the pattern incorporates the green of the leaves' summer foliage, the gold which appears in early autumn, the red which appears with the coming of the first frost, and the brown tones of the fallen leaves.

Ontario

The creation of the tartan inspired by the Provincial court of arms which is the Armorial Ensign was recognized as the symbol of Ontario for almost a century. The yellow is for the three maple leaves which appear on the green background of the coat of arms. The red is for the Cross of St. George. The black is for the bear which appears at the top of the shield. The brown is the colour-combination created by the moose on the left and the deer on the right of the shield. These five colours go to make up the tartan.

Quebec

The plaid of Quebec tartan owes its inspiration to the Provincial coat of arms which in turn reflects the history of the province. The colours of the tartan are taken from the three horizontal divisions of the shield. The blue is for the field of the upper division containing three fleurs de lys. The green is for the sprig of maple leaves on the lower division. The red is for the background of the centre division. The gold is for the lion rampant in the third division and also for the crown of the crest. The white is for the scroll with the motto "Je me souviens" ("I remember").

Newfoundland

The Newfoundland tartan was designed by St. John's businessman Sam Wilansky in the early 60's. The tartan has the colours of gold, white, brown and red on a green background. The gold represents the sun's rays; the green represents the pine clad hills; the white represents the cloak of snow; the brown represents the Iron Isle and the red represents the Royal Standard for which our fathers stood.

Back to Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols