Flag etiquette

At the University of Manitoba, flags are symbols of our shared identity, our values, and our care for one another. UM displays and lowers flags to half-mast in accordance with university policy and procedures, and protocols established by the federal and provincial government.

Flag policy and procedure

The Flag Etiquette Policy and Procedure were updated on May 27, 2025, and help to ensure respectful, meaningful recognition of significant events and individuals in our community. Together, these documents clarify how and when flags may be lowered to half-mast as a symbol of collective mourning, and when guest or special flags may be flown on UM campuses.

Flag Etiquette Policy (PDF)   Flag Etiquette Procedure (PDF)

All UM policies and procedures are available in alternate formats, upon request. Please contact Laura Orsak-Williams at Laura.Orsak@umanitoba.ca.

Administration Building from the quad in the winter

Flag notifications

Notifications regarding half-masted flags will be posted on UM Today and inside the Administration Building at 66 Chancellor’s Circle.

Review in memoriam flag notifications      

Lowering the flag to half-mast

All requests for UM to half-mast flags are directed to the President's Office. Upon request, the Primary Canadian Flag atop the Administration Building at 66 Chancellor's Circle will be lowered to half-mast in the observance of the following circumstances:

The death of a member of the university community

  • Registered students
  • Current members of the Board of Governors or Senate
  • Current or former Chairs of the Board or Governors, Presidents, or Chancellors
  • Current members of faculty or staff
  • Professors Emeriti
  • Retirees
  • Recipients of UM honorary degrees
  • Any other individual(s), as deemed appropriate by the President.

The Primary Grouping of Flags at the intersection of Chancellor Matheson Road and University Crescent may also be half-masted, in conjunction with the Principal Canadian Flag, in observance of the following circumstances: 

The death of a member of the Canadian Government

  • Prime Minister
  • Chief Justice of Canada
  • Premier of Manitoba
  • Sovereign
  • Governor General
  • Manitoba Lieutenant Governor
  • Former Prime Ministers or Premiers of Manitoba
  • Other members of government, as deemed appropriate by the President.

The death of leaders of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit governments

  • Includes prominent community leaders

In such cases when the Primary Grouping of Flags are half-masted in conjunction with the Principal Canadian Flag, the period which the flags will remain at half-mast will generally mirror the practice of the Province of Manitoba.

The university will lower the Principal Canadian Flag to half-mast in observation of the following days of commemoration:

Commemorative dates

  • January 27 (International Holocaust Remembrance Day)

  • January 29 (National Day of Remembrance and Action Against Islamophobia)

  • April 28 (Day of Mourning for Persons Killed or Injured in the Workplace)

  • May 5 (National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit People)

  • June 23 (National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism)

  • September 30 (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation)

  • November 8 (Indigenous Veterans Day)

  • November 11 (Remembrance Day)

  • December 6 (National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women)

Submit a request to lower the flag to half-mast

Contact information

Please provide your contact information to ensure we are able to follow up with your request.

Request information

Please indicate the type of request you are submitting.
 

Honouree's information

Please select the appropriate group the honouree is a member of in order to notify additional units within the university community, if necessary. If the honouree is a member of more than one of the listed groups, please select the most pertinent.
Title of the deceased
Please note, in accordance with the our policy, the flag will be lowered on the date of the individual's memorial service. If the date of the memorial service is unknown or a service will not take place, please select a date within 10 days of the individual's passing.

Special day or event information

Please indicate the special day, event, or day of remembrance and/or mourning to be observed.
Please indicate the date the flag should be lowered. Requests should be made at least three (3) business days in advance.

Displaying guest or special flags

A flagpole outside of UMSU University Centre at 65 Chancellor's Circle is designated for guest or special flags, to be displayed upon request. Notifications regarding special or guest flags will be posted online via UM Today.

Requests to display a special or guest flag, in accordance with the policy and procedure, can be submitted to Kelsey Evans at kelsey.evans@umanitoba.ca at least two (2) weeks prior to the date the flag is intended to be raised. Please indicate the type of flag requested to be displayed, the reason for the request, and the date the flag should be raised.

Additional information

If you have additional requests or concerns regarding flag etiquette or require any of the above information in a different format, including the request form, please contact Kelsey Evans at kelsey.evans@umanitoba.ca.