It was similar to the current version with the difference that the red cross was a saltire, a beaver stood in the place of what is now a fleur-de-lys, and there was no white pine.

An article in the Montreal Gazette from May 3, 1935 reported that the city's Jubilee committee had discovered a rule whereby official coats of arms of British corporations could be interpreted into flag banners.

Per the article, Montreal prepared to raise its own distinct flag for the first time ever on the King's Jubilee day based on the original coat of arms by Jacques Viger.

[3] In May 1939, the flag was revised to display a symmetric cross instead of a saltire, as well as a blue fleur-de-lys instead of a beaver.

The symbol was chosen by the First Nations communities of Montreal, those being Haudenosaunee and Algonquin although there are large Inuit, Métis and Anishinaabeg populations.