The flag of Manitoba consists of a Red Ensign defaced with the shield of the provincial coat of arms.

It featured the Cross of Saint George at the chief and a bison on a green field for the lower portion.

[4] Subsequently, King Edward VII issued a Royal Warrant on May 10, 1905, allowing Manitoba to utilize their own coat of arms.

[4][7][8][9] The Great Canadian Flag Debate that preceded this change showed there were still parts of Canada where imperialist nostalgia was strong.

Lamenting the demise of the Canadian Red Ensign, its proponents in those regions endeavoured to have it modified as a provincial flag.

[5] The provincial government subsequently sought approval from Queen Elizabeth II, since this entailed defacing a British flag;[4] this was granted on August 27 of that same year.

The winning entry came from Heather Jones of Fort Rouge, whose design consisted of a stylized blue bison set against a golden sun.

[22] A motion calling for a change to the flag was put forward on the program at the provincial New Democratic Party's annual convention in March 2009.

[23] Coupled with the fact that the Progressive Conservative Party – which in 2016 won the largest majority in the province's history[24] and were re-elected in 2019[25] – are in favour of the status quo given its connection to Manitoba's origins, the prospect of changing the flag in the near future appears to be remote.

According to Auguste Vachon, the bison evokes the Indigenous peoples living in the province, such as the Assiniboine and the Cree.

The company was the only private firm ever permitted to use the modified Red Ensign in its day-to-day operations, and its flag was frequently confused with that of several Canadian provinces.