Canadian symbols are the objects, events, and people that carry special meaning and together express the national identity. This guide covers the Crown, the flag of 1965 and the maple leaf, the fleur-de-lys, the coat of arms and motto, Parliament, official sports and languages, the beaver, the anthems, the honours system, and the calendar of national holidays.
IdentityWhat Canadian symbols are
Canada has many important symbols — objects, events, and people that have special meaning and together help explain what it means to be Canadian. Among the most recognizable are the Mace of the House of Commons, the Canadian flag of 1965, the Royal Arms of Canada, and the Snowbirds (431 Air Demonstration Squadron).
The CrownThe Canadian Crown and monarchy
The Crown has been a symbol of the state in Canada for 400 years, and Canada has been a constitutional monarchy in its own right since Confederation in 1867, during the reign of Queen Victoria. The Crown stands for government as a whole — Parliament, the legislatures, the courts, police services, and the Canadian Forces.
Queen Elizabeth II has been Queen of Canada since 1952. She marked her Golden Jubilee in 2002 and celebrated her Diamond Jubilee — 60 years as Sovereign — in 2012.
Flags & the maple leafThe flag, the maple leaf, and the fleur-de-lys
A new Canadian flag was raised for the first time in 1965. Its red-white-red pattern comes from the flag of the Royal Military College, Kingston, founded in 1876. Red and white had been the colours of France and England since the Middle Ages and have been Canada's national colours since 1921.
The Union Jack is Canada's official Royal Flag. Before 1965 the Canadian Red Ensign served as the flag for about 100 years, and it has been carried officially by veterans since 2005. The provinces and territories also have their own flags embodying their distinct traditions.
The maple leaf is Canada's best-known symbol. It was adopted by French-Canadians in the 1700s, has appeared on Canadian uniforms and insignia since the 1850s, and is carved into the headstones of fallen soldiers buried overseas and in Canada.
The lily flower, or fleur-de-lys, is said to have been adopted by the French king in the year 496 and became the symbol of French royalty for more than 1,000 years, including the colony of New France. Revived at Confederation, it was included in the Canadian Red Ensign, and in 1948 Quebec adopted its own flag, based on the Cross and the fleur-de-lys.
Heraldry & architectureCoat of arms, motto, and Parliament
After the First World War, Canada adopted an official coat of arms and a national motto as an expression of national pride. The motto is A Mari Usque Ad Mare, Latin for 'from sea to sea.' The arms contain symbols of England, France, Scotland and Ireland plus red maple leaves, and can be seen on dollar bills, government documents, and public buildings.
The Parliament Buildings, completed in the 1860s, embody French, English, and Aboriginal traditions in the Gothic Revival style popular under Queen Victoria. The Centre Block was destroyed by an accidental fire in 1916 and rebuilt in 1922; only the Library remains from the original building. The Peace Tower was completed in 1927 in memory of the First World War, and its Memorial Chamber holds the Books of Remembrance naming those who died serving Canada.
The Quebec National Assembly is built in the French Second Empire style, while the other provincial legislatures are Baroque, Romanesque and neoclassical, reflecting the Greco-Roman heritage of Western civilization in which democracy originated.
SportsPopular sports
Hockey is Canada's most popular spectator sport and the national winter sport; ice hockey was developed in Canada in the 1800s. The National Hockey League plays for the Stanley Cup, donated by Lord Stanley, the Governor General, in 1892, while the Clarkson Cup — established in 2005 by Adrienne Clarkson, the 26th Governor General and the first of Asian origin — is awarded for women's hockey.
Canadian football is the second most popular sport, curling is an ice game introduced by Scottish pioneers, and soccer has the most registered players of any game in Canada. Lacrosse, an ancient sport first played by Aboriginals, is the official summer sport.
Remember this
- Lacrosse = official summer sport.
- Hockey = national winter sport.
- Soccer has the most registered players.
- Stanley Cup donated 1892; Clarkson Cup (women's) 2005.
Symbol of industryThe beaver
The beaver was adopted centuries ago as a symbol of the Hudson's Bay Company and became an emblem of the St. Jean Baptiste Society, a French-Canadian patriotic association, in 1834, among other groups. It appears on the five-cent coin, on the coats of arms of Saskatchewan and Alberta, and of cities such as Montreal and Toronto.
LanguagesCanada's official languages
English and French are Canada's two official languages and important symbols of identity. English speakers are Anglophones and French speakers are Francophones, and the two communities have lived together in partnership and creative tension for more than 300 years. You must have adequate knowledge of English or French to become a citizen, though adult applicants 55 years of age or over are exempt from the language requirement.
Parliament passed the Official Languages Act in 1969. Its three objectives are to establish equality between French and English in Parliament, the Government of Canada, and institutions subject to the Act; to maintain and develop official language minority communities; and to promote the equality of French and English in Canadian society.
AnthemsThe national and royal anthems
O Canada was proclaimed the national anthem in 1980, having been first sung in Quebec City in 1880; French and English Canadians sing different words to it. The Royal Anthem of Canada is 'God Save the Queen (or King)', which can be played or sung on any occasion when Canadians wish to honour the Sovereign.
HonoursThe honours system and the Victoria Cross
Official awards are called honours — orders, decorations, and medals. After using British honours for many years, Canada started its own system with the Order of Canada in 1967, the centennial of Confederation, and citizens may nominate fellow citizens worthy of recognition.
The Victoria Cross (V.C.) is the highest honour available to Canadians, awarded for the most conspicuous bravery, a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy. It has been awarded to 96 Canadians since 1854.
Alexander Roberts Dunn, born in present-day Toronto, the first Canadian awarded the V.C., for the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava in the Crimean War.
William Hall of Horton, Nova Scotia, child of American slaves, the first black man awarded the V.C., for the Siege of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion.
Filip Konowal, born in Ukraine, honoured for the Battle of Hill 70 — the first member of the Canadian Corps not born in the British Empire to receive the V.C.
Billy Bishop of Owen Sound, Ontario, earned the V.C. in the Royal Flying Corps in WWI, later honorary Air Marshal of the RCAF.
Paul Triquet of Cabano, Quebec, earned the V.C. at Casa Berardi in Italy in WWII, later a Brigadier.
Robert Hampton Gray, a navy pilot born in Trail, B.C., killed sinking a Japanese warship in August — the last Canadian to receive the V.C. to date.
CalendarNational holidays and important dates
The year opens with New Year's Day (January 1) and Sir John A. Macdonald Day (January 11), followed by Good Friday (the Friday before Easter Sunday) and Easter Monday (the Monday after). Vimy Day falls on April 9 and Victoria Day on the Monday preceding May 25, marking the Sovereign's birthday.
Summer brings Quebec's Fête nationale (June 24), the Feast of St. John the Baptist, and Canada Day (July 1). The fall holidays are Labour Day (first Monday of September), Thanksgiving Day (second Monday of October), Remembrance Day (November 11), and Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day (November 20), with the year closing on Christmas Day (December 25) and Boxing Day (December 26).
Remember this
- Vimy Day — April 9.
- Canada Day — July 1.
- Remembrance Day — November 11.
- Sir John A. Macdonald Day — January 11; Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day — November 20.
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