This flag is a celebration year project of the Labrador Brotherhood. It is meant to be a permanent declaration of the unique identity of the people of Labrador and their common heritage.

When we began searching for symbols which were truly Labradorian, we decided that they must represent several things:

• First, the Land and the People, and the unity of the two which produced "Labradorians";
• Second, the three distinct races of people and the common bonds which make us all Labradorians;
• Third, all geographic areas of the Territory; and in addition, it should say something about our past and our future.

The result was a tri-color flag with a spruce twig in the upper left corner.

The top white bar represents the snows, the one element which, more than any other, colored our culture and dictated our life styles. The snows are our highways, and the regulator of our waters, which provide the fish and wildlife, the two main sources of our sustenance.

The bottom bar represents the waters of our rivers, lakes and oceans. The waters have been our highways like the snows, and nurtured our fish and wildlife.

The centre green bar represents the Land. The green and bountiful land, which is the connecting element that united our three diverse cultures.

The symbolic spruce twig was chosen because the spruce tree is the one thing that is common to all geographic areas of Labrador. It has provided our shelter, transport, fuel and - in an indirect way - our food and clothing, since the spruce forests became the environment for the wildlife which gave us meat for our tables, and the skins for clothing and trade. It was from the spruce that we sawed our planks and timbers for our boats, komotiks and houses.

The three branches of the spruce twig represents the three races, the Innuit, the Indian; and the European settlers. The twig growing from one stalk represents the common origins of man regardless of race.

Thje twig is in two sections, or year growths. The outer, or latest year growth is longer than the inner or earlier sprigs. This occurs because in the good growing years, the twig grows longer than in the poor years. Thus, the inner and shorter sprig reminds us of the hard times of the pats, while the longer one on the outside represents our hope for the future.

This is our flag, and a symbol of faith in ourselves and the future: our pride of heritage; and our respect for the land and the dignity of man.