The federal government has spent more than $194,000 on Canadian flag pins and desk flags manufactured in China, according to a newly released Order Paper response tabled in Parliament.
The disclosure comes in response to Question Q-1077 from Conservative MP Arnold Viersen, which asked Canadian Heritage to detail its purchases of Canadian flags, flag pins and related products since January 2022.
Records show Canadian Heritage purchased three million plastic Canadian flag lapel pins from a Chinese manufacturer in September 2024 at a cost of $143,400. The department also bought 44,117 floating metal flag pins from China in January 2023 for $14,999.78, another 72,400 metal flag pins in November 2024 for $20,996, and 8,770 desk flags made in China for $14,996.70.
In total, Canadian Heritage spent $194,392.48 on Chinese-made flag-themed merchandise while simultaneously purchasing most of its full-sized Canadian flags from Canadian manufacturer L’Étendard.
The department spent more than $2.5 million on Canadian-made full-size nylon flags between 2022 and early 2026, including orders ranging from 9,700 to 30,100 flags. It also purchased paper hand flags from Canadian suppliers Broadway Import Export and Tobermory Press.
When asked why foreign-made products were selected instead of Canadian manufacturers, Canadian Heritage offered a brief explanation.
“For purchase of products manufactured outside of Canada, purchases were made pursuant to current Government of Canada procurement processes,” the department stated.
The revelation stands in contrast to a longstanding Liberal commitment to source Canadian flag merchandise domestically.
In 2005, then-Liberal Public Works Minister Scott Brison pledged to end the practice of purchasing Canadian flag pins made in China after media reports highlighted the contradiction. At the time, the federal government announced it would seek Canadian suppliers for the patriotic merchandise distributed by MPs and government departments.
More than two decades later, millions of Chinese-made Canadian flag pins are still being purchased with taxpayer dollars.
The Order Paper response was signed by Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller and released on June 3, 2026.
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