Four days after Albertans voted on the province’s future in Canada, the Alberta government released new rules requiring every school to fly the Canadian flag.
The Flag Display Regulation, announced Oct. 23, takes effect Jan. 4, 2027. Schools must fly the Canadian and Alberta flags outside during the school year, each on its own flagpole.
“The Canadian and Alberta flags are symbols that unite us and reflect the values we share,” said Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.
“Let’s teach our children to celebrate our amazing country and province,” Premier Danielle Smith wrote on social media.
The rules also limit which other flags schools can display, and when. That part is drawing criticism from teachers.
The referendum timing
The announcement came right after Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum, when preliminary results showed about 76% of voters chose to remain in Canada.
But the two aren’t connected. The flag rules come from legislation that passed in May, months before the vote, and they were first scheduled to start Sept. 1.
The timing is a coincidence. It still landed in the same week as one of the biggest votes in the province’s history.
Weren’t schools already flying these flags?
Mostly, yes.
Alberta’s Education Act already required schools to display the Canadian and Alberta flags.
What’s new is the detail. Both flags must now fly outside during the school year, each on its own flagpole, following federal and provincial flag protocols. And for the first time, there are province-wide rules for every other flag a school puts up.
Which flags can go up anytime?
These flags are allowed on school property without approval:
The Canadian and Alberta flags, required outside during the school year
The Franco-Albertan flag
Alberta civic and municipal flags, like a city or town flag
Sports team flags, including championship and competition flags
The Vatican City flag
Flags showing official Alberta symbols under the Emblems of Alberta Act
When can First Nations and Métis flags be displayed?
First Nations, Métis Settlements General Council and Métis settlement flags can be displayed inside schools on:
June 21: National Indigenous Peoples Day
Sept. 30: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Nov. 16: Louis Riel Day
Schools can also display them on the school day before or after those dates, where it applies.
They can also go up:
During visits by Indigenous leaders, for up to 14 school days in a row
During ceremonies and celebrations, for as long as the event lasts
As part of a lesson tied to an approved course, for up to 14 school days in a row
What about other countries’ flags and the Union Jack?
Foreign national flags can be displayed during official visits by a head of state, diplomat or official, for up to 14 school days in a row. They’re also allowed during ceremonies and as part of lessons.
The Royal Union Flag, the Union Jack, can be displayed on Commonwealth Day, the second Monday in March, and Victoria Day, plus the school day before or after.
What about the Pride flag?
The regulation doesn’t mention the Pride flag, and it isn’t on any of the allowed lists.
A school that wants to display one would have to ask the province for permission. Asked whether that amounts to a ban, Nicolaides said requests would be considered case by case.
How schools can ask to display other flags
School boards can make a written request to the Ministry of Education and Childcare.
To be approved, the flag can’t be “a political, social or ideological statement or position” by the school board. It also has to meet at least one of these tests:
It represents the school’s population and community
It’s part of the building’s existing infrastructure
It reflects the school’s identity
It’s tied to a commemorative day or observance
It’s part of a school event
Nicolaides gave one example the province doesn’t want to stop: a school mural showing the flags of its students’ home countries. He said the government isn’t trying to restrict celebrating diversity.
Can students still wear or carry flags?
Yes.
The regulation covers flags displayed by school boards. It doesn’t apply to flags on individuals or their personal items, according to the Alberta government.
A student with a flag pin, a flag on their backpack or a flag on their shirt isn’t affected.
The rules apply to what the school puts up: on its flagpoles and walls, in its classrooms, and on its websites and social media.
Quick guide: what’s allowed and when
| Flag | When it’s allowed |
|---|---|
| Canadian and Alberta flags | Required outside, on separate flagpoles, all school year |
| Franco-Albertan flag | Anytime |
| City and municipal flags | Anytime |
| Sports team flags | Anytime |
| Vatican City flag | Anytime |
| First Nations and Métis flags | June 21, Sept. 30, Nov. 16, plus visits, ceremonies and lessons |
| Royal Union Flag | Commonwealth Day and Victoria Day |
| Foreign national flags | Visits, ceremonies and lessons |
| Other flags not covered by an exemption | Provincial approval required |
What teachers and schools are saying
Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling said schools don’t need “another layer of bureaucracy.” He also questioned why sports team flags can fly all year while First Nations and Métis flags are limited to certain days and occasions.
NDP education critic Amanda Chapman said Albertans are worried about “overcrowded classrooms and increasingly complex student needs, not policing flags.”
School leaders were more measured.
“We appreciate the Government of Alberta’s efforts to provide clarity on these requirements,” said Nicole Buchanan, board chair of Red Deer Public Schools.
Reagan Weeks, president of the College of Alberta School Superintendents, said schools will carry out the rules so they “remain places where every student is treated with dignity, respect and a strong sense of belonging.”
Edmonton Public Schools and the Calgary Board of Education say they’re reviewing the rules.
Where the rules came from
The regulation comes from the Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms, which received royal assent on May 14. The flag rules were pushed back from Sept. 1 after backlash.
The regulation expires on May 29, 2029, unless the government renews or changes it.
What happens on Jan. 4?
The rules apply to public, separate, francophone, charter and accredited independent schools.
Before then, schools will need to make sure both flags fly on separate flagpoles, review hallway and classroom displays, go through their websites and social media, and send requests to the province for any flag not covered by the rules.
Sources
Government of Alberta, “Regulations on school flags,” Oct. 23, 2026: https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=98001230FFE89-F713-B2EF-9EDFC7EFE4DECE11
Flag Display Regulation, Ministerial Order 026/2026: https://kings-printer.alberta.ca/Documents/MinOrders/2026/Education_and_Childcare/2026_026_Education_and_Childcare.pdf
Elections Alberta, 2026 referendum results: https://www.elections.ab.ca
Alberta Teachers’ Association, response to school flag regulations, Oct. 23, 2026: https://teachers.ab.ca/news/ata-news/ata-responds-new-school-flag-regulations
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