What is the Métis flag?

The Métis flag is the oldest patriotic flag native to what is now Canada, predating the Maple Leaf flag by more than 150 years. It carries a horizontal white infinity symbol on a coloured field, and exists in two principal versions: blue (used by Métis aligned historically with the North West Company) and red (used by Métis aligned with the Hudson's Bay Company). Both versions remain in use among Métis communities today.

The infinity symbol carries two meanings. It represents the joining of two peoples, Indigenous and European, into a distinct nation, and it represents the Métis Nation's belief in its existence forever. The blue Métis flag was first presented to Métis soldiers by the North West Company before the Battle of Seven Oaks on June 19, 1816, fought near present-day Winnipeg over control of the Red River fur trade. Cuthbert Grant led the Métis to victory in that engagement.

The Métis Nation has its homeland on the prairies, in what are now Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, and in parts of Ontario, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories. Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 recognises the Métis as one of three Indigenous peoples of Canada alongside First Nations and Inuit. The Supreme Court of Canada confirmed Métis Aboriginal rights in R. v. Powley in 2003 and in Manitoba Métis Federation Inc. v. Canada in 2013.

The Métis Nation Council, formed in 1983, represents the Métis Nation internationally and works with the federal government on the Canada-Métis Nation Accord signed in 2017. Provincial Métis governments include the Métis Nation of Ontario, the Manitoba Métis Federation, the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, and the Métis Nation of Alberta. Louis Riel Day, observed in Manitoba on the third Monday in February, marks the legacy of the Métis leader executed in 1885.