Before 1905

The founding of The Canadian Red Cross Society can be attributed to the courage and conviction of Dr. George Sterling Ryerson.

In the spring of 1885, during Louis Riel's North West Rebellion, Ryerson planted the seed for what would later become the Canadian Red Cross. This came about when he needed something to distinguish the horse-drawn wagons being used to transport the wounded and the ordinary horse-drawn wagons. To accomplish this, Ryerson gathered some red material from the artillery and tore off two strips, sewing them onto a piece of white factory cotton. This creation was one of the first Red Cross flags ever flown in Canada.

In 1896, Dr. George Sterling Ryerson founded the first overseas branch of the British Red Cross, which later became the Canadian Red Cross.