WINNIPEG — A large Canadian flag that hung on the front of the Manitoba legislature has been returned to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers football team.

The provincial government borrowed the nine-by-18-metre flag in March and draped it above the legislature’s main entrance as a symbol of resistance in the trade war with the United States.

The flag suffered some tearing by strong winds and had to be taken down and repaired at least twice.

The Manitoba government planned to keep the flag, use it for public events and buy the CFL team a new one.

But Premier Wab Kinew says the Bombers, led by president Wade Miller, didn’t want any money from the province.

The NDP government doesn’t have another flag of that size, but Kinew says he would be open to getting one if the trade war continues.

“Wade Miller was great about this, first of all in lending it to us, but then in effectively (saying) ‘we don’t want your money,’” Kinew said.

“I thought it was a really nice moment for our province. We had the Rally for Canada. We had … tourists and Winnipeggers stopping and taking selfies in front of it.”

The Blue Bombers bring large flags onto the field for the national anthem before each home game.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 26, 2025

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press