How do I force the flash on my digital camera?

I have a Canon PowerShot S3IS That I can't figure out how to force the flash when the background lighting is bright.

I do not believe you can force the flash in the AUTO mode. My brother had this problem with his A630 and we discovered that you can CANCEL the flash in AUTO, but not force it. You can force it in many other - but not all - modes. Please see your Advanced Manual, page 167, for a chart describing the various configurations.

You go into settings and there should be "flash" and then you can click on or off. I have a CanonPowerShot but not the S3IS so i'm not a hundred percent sure. Also the instructions for the camera should say.

Firstly- you need to open up the flash yourself.
Then- there is a button on the top left of the camera.
Yeah- it's a strange place. The one with the little lightning bolt by it (and a blue microphone symbol)

There are actually quite a few menu selections for the flash mode as well:

鈥?Auto
鈥?Manual Flash On / Off
鈥?Slow Synch
鈥?Red eye reduction
鈥?Flash exposure lock
鈥?Flash Exposure Compensation +/- 2EV in 1/3 stop increments
鈥?Manual Power adjustment
鈥?Second Curtain Synch

Since is a Canon camera, the manual should teach you how to make the flash always on, not like those normal brand.