From July 21, 1682, to 1965, the flag consisted of the Red Ensign with the letters "HBC" in the lower field.

Following the incorporation of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1670, the company was granted permission on July 21, 1682, by the first governor of the company, Prince Rupert, to use a modified version of the Red Ensign letters "HBC" in the lower field on its forts and ships entering Hudson Strait.

The flag consisted of the Red Ensign with the letters "HBC" in the lower field.

[3] The use of Red Ensign by the company was stopped in 1965 after the Maple Leaf Flag was introduced.

The flag features the company's coat of arms on a white field.