Alpha Flight is a superhero team created by John Byrne in 1979 in the X-Men series as part of Wolverine's back story. They're a group created, funded, and under the direction of the Canadian government. The group was given their own title in 1983, with Byrne as the original writer/artist.
The original series lasted till 1994. It has been revived several times, but the revivals have been short-lived. Most involved a mix of new characters with some of the old.
The team has also appeared in supporting roles in the Marvel Universe between runs of their ongoing features, in crossover events such as Civil War II and Secret Empire.