Flying Colours usually makes 50,000 Canadian flags per year, but demand is up.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threat against Canada has sent sales of Canadian flags soaring.
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“Interesting fact for you, about 26 per cent of the American households own a (U.S.) flag. It’s only about two per cent in Canada, so we have to catch up.”
Surprisingly, many of the people buying Canadian flags are Americans.
“We’ve had a lot of Americans that are calling from Washington State, and they’re actually requesting the Canadian flag,” said Julia Izadi of the Flying Colours location in Port Coquitlam.
“I guess to show their support of Canadians. It’s been really nice to see, especially with what’s going on with the tariffs, or lack thereof, to see their support and them wanting to fly the Canada flag.”
Flying Colours International is a 115-year-old Canadian company that took over the assets of Vancouver’s Flag Shop in July, 2024. Its main office is in Toronto, but it has seven employees in Port Coquitlam making and selling flags.
Jefferies said the company typically makes about one million flags a year.
“Not just Canada flags, but provincials and a variety of other things,” he said. “But I bet you we go through 50,000 or 60,000 Canadian flags.”
The “workhorse” is a consumer flag that’s 72 inches wide and 36 inches high, or 180 by 90 centimetres. But Flying Colours can do all sorts of sizes.
“The largest flag we ever made was for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats,” Jefferies relates.
“It was for a football-sized field, so you’re looking at roughly 300 feet by 150 feet. It still tours Canada, actually, on a variety of applications.”
Flags are usually made of nylon.
“Type-66 DuPont nylon, which is really the one of the best materials for flags,” said Izadi. “And there is a polyester line that’s mostly for some indoor flags.”
The company’s clientele varies. They recently made flags and banners for the Invictus Games, as well as Cirque du Soleil.
Governments are a big client across Canada. If dignitaries are visiting from another country, Flying Colour will do some of their country’s flags. But the numbers are small compared to the provincial flags the company makes — it might do 15,000 to 20,000 B.C. flags in a year.
“That’s a really hard flag to custom sew because it has so many details,” said Izadi.
“Generally, that one would be custom printed. The City of Vancouver has 12-foot by 24-foot flags. The top of the City Hall has (both) Canada and B.C. flags, and those are custom sewn. They’re beautiful.”
If you walk in off the street and want to buy a 72-by-36-inch Canadian flag, the price is $57.50. B.C. flags the same size would be $87.50.
The company also makes a striking flag with Kwakwaka’wakw elements designed by First Nations artist Lou-Ann Neel, and a Canadian flag with Indigenous motifs. Both are quite popular — Flying Colours makes about 2,500 copies of each per year.
