The flag has a red background, in honor of the service of members of the Royal Armed Forces, and the letter "C" which represents the name of the capital city. The letter "C" is compromised of three chevrons with one chevron each representing Ontario, Québec, and the special municipality itself. Prior to this flag, Cardiff was represented by the royal flag. However, the city's political leadership put forth a local referendum to voters on whether or not the city should create a unique flag. With the referendum passing with over 80 percent of the vote in the 1997 provincial/local elections, a committee was organized to design a flag. The final design was revealed on New Year's Day of 2000.