A Crown of Maples - The Visual Presence of the Canadian Crown

The Crown as A Symbol of Statehood

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The Canada Post stamp
celebrating Her Majesty
The Queen's 80th
birthday (2006)

Every country has symbols -- flags, coats of arms, events, and historical figures, among others -- that foster among its citizens a sense of pride in being part of the larger "national family." Canada is a land of diversity, embracing vast differences within its border and among its people. Symbols have provided connections across great expanses of space and time and have been a source of both pride and unity. In this regard, perhaps our most visible symbol is the Canadian Crown.

Queen Elizabeth II visits the RCMP
Musical Ride Equitation Centre.
Ottawa, Ontario. October 2002.

The Queen
Elizabeth Way
(one of Ontario's
busiest highways)
was named for
the mother of
Queen Elizabeth II.
Bearing the Crown,
these signs are
somewhat similar to
Ontario's usual "
King's Highway" signs.

It possible to find symbols of the Crown displayed in many important areas: coinage and currency, constitutional documents, postage stamps, police and military insignia, government coats of arms and court buildings, to name but a few. In addition, there are approximately seventy prominent Canadian organizations with royal designation, such as the Royal Canadian Legion and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, which were granted this honour personally by the Sovereign. Approximately forty military regiments have the Queen or a member of the Royal Family as colonel-in-chief; many carry "Royal" designation, such as the Royal 22^e Régiment and the Royal New Brunswick Regiment, as well as other forces such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. Indeed, all naval vessels of Her Majesty's Canadian Forces are named with the prefix H.M.C.S. -- Her Majesty's Canadian Ship. These and many other examples are enduring and appropriate reminders that power and honour flow from the Crown of Canada.

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Queen Elizabeth II's effigy on the
Canadian dollar coin and portrait on
the twenty dollar bill.

As our head of State, the Queen and her representatives serve to embody who we are as a people and a country by representing the values, goals and aspirations that we all share.

Further, the collective Crown -- the Sovereign, the Governor General and the Lieutenant Governors -- also serves as a symbol to other nations that Canada is a sovereign country. Beyond explaining our system of government, the representatives of the Crown use history, tradition and pageantry in giving daily expression to our national identity on behalf of all Canadians.

...this country and Canadians everywhere have been a constant presence in my life and work, and I have so many vivid memories and a tremendous sense of pride in being part of the Canadian family. This is a relationship that I have come to treasure and a country for which I have a deep and abiding affection.

Queen Elizabeth II
Edmonton, Alberta
May 2005

Canadian Honours of the Crown

In a constitutional monarchy, the Sovereign is the source or "fount" of all honours. This means that honours and decorations are created by and conferred in the name of the Queen, and on behalf of all Canadians, in the recognition of meritorious service or accomplishment. Indeed, honours are the highest form of recognition given to a person and are dynamic symbols of Canadian identity, unity and pride.

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Badges proudly surmounted by the St. Edward's Crown:
1 The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
2 The Ontario Provincial Police
3 The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
4 The Canadian Security Intelligence Service
5 The Cape Breton Regional Police Service
6 The Royal Canadian Legion
7 The Vancouver Police Department

As part of Government House in Ottawa -- the Office of the Governor General, the Chancellery of Honours administers all aspects of Canada's Honours System, including national honours and heraldry. Canada's highest honour is the Order of Canada that is awarded in three levels -- Companion, Officer and Member. This pattern is also found in the other national orders: the Order of Military Merit (Commander, Officer and Member), the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (Companion, Officer and Member), the Royal Victorian Order (Commander, Lieutenant and Members -- conferred personally by Her Majesty The Queen), and the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (Knight/Dame, Commander, Officer and Member).

Queen Elizabeth II invests
Jules Léger (later Governor
General of Canada 1974 -
1979) as a Companion of
the Order of Canada.
Rideau Hall. Ottawa, Ontario.
August 1973.

The first living person to
be made an honorary
Canadian citizen, Nelson
Mandela is congratulated
by Governor General
Roméo LeBlanc on being
made an honorary
Companion of the Order
of Canada. Rideau Hall.
Ottawa, Ontario.
September 1998.

The insignia of a Companion of the Order of Canada. Her Majesty The Queen is Sovereign of the Order. Companions, Officers and Members inducted into the Order by the Governor General are done so in the name of the Queen.

One of the things that struck me is that our most valuable resource as a country is the creativity, daring and persistence of women, men and youth who chose to get involved when others might turn away; individuals who, like you, want nothing more than to have a hand in shaping humanity.

Governor General
Michaëlle Jean
Order of Canada
Investiture Ceremony
October 2006

Decorations recognizing degrees of bravery, professionalism and exceptional devotion to duty include: Military Valour Decorations (Victoria Cross, Star of Military Valour and Medal of Military Valour), Decorations for Bravery (Cross of Valour, Star of Courage and Medal of Bravery) and Meritorious Service Decorations (Meritorious Service Cross and Meritorious Service Medal-Military and Civil Divisions).

The Governor General conducts investiture ceremonies in the name of the Queen. The honours conferred bear the Crown as a visible reminder of a key point: all such honours are granted by the Sovereign on behalf of the entire country.

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All ten provinces have established orders. Examples, bearing the St. Edward's Crown, are: the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador,
the Order of Ontario and the Order of British Columbia.

Although all provinces and territories have a series of awards, the ten provinces in particular have established orders: L'Ordre national du Québec; The Saskatchewan Order of Merit; The Order of Ontario; The Order of British Columbia; The Alberta Order of Excellence; The Order of Prince Edward Island; The Order of Manitoba; The Order of New Brunswick; The Order of Nova Scotia; and The Order of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Governor General
Adreinne Clarkson
presents a
National Native
Role Model Award
to Marie Smith-
Tutin. Rideau Hall.
Ottawa, Ontario.
April 2000.

For her bravery during a
skyjacking in 1971, flight
attendant Mary Dohey
became the first woman
to be awarded the Cross
of Valour by Governor
General Jules Léger.
Rideau Hall. Ottawa,
Ontario. February 1976.

Legendary writer,
composer and
recording artist
Leonard Cohen is
congratulated by
Governor General
Ramon Hnatyshyn upon
being presented with
the Governor General's
Award for Lifetime
Artistic Achievement.
Rideau Hall. Ottawa,
Ontario. November
1993.

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The Arms of the
Canadian Heraldic
Authority

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The Badge of
the Siksika
Nation

Another form of honour flowing from the Crown is the granting of armorial bearings or coats of arms. Part of the Chancellery, the Canadian Heraldic Authority was established in 1988 flowing from Royal Letters Patent and provides a Canadian mechanism for the granting of heraldic emblems to Canadian governments, communities, corporations, associations and individuals. Recognizing the importance of heraldic symbols in fostering national identity and pride, the Authority grants uniquely Canadian emblems in the name of the Queen of Canada and uses this ancient and colourful science to highlight our collective heritage and identity.

Presentation of badge to the
Siksika Nation by Governor
General Ramon Hnatyshyn. This
was the first grant of a heraldic
emblem to a First Nations
government in Canada. Gleichen,
Alberta. October 1990.

His Royal Highness
The Prince Edward
(now The Earl of
Wessex) presents
Royal Letters Patent
to Governor General
Jeanne Sauvé.
Rideau Hall. Ottawa,
Ontario. June 1988.
(With this document,
coats-of-arms would
be granted to
Canadians in Canada
by the Canadian
Crown.)

Ceremonial Occasions

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Governor General Michaëlle Jean
reads the Speech from the
Throne in theSenate Chamber.
October 2007.

The Queen and her representatives devote much time and energy to ceremonial duties. Such duties are an important part of the life of our country: the royal pageantry, ceremony and traditions of the Queen, the Governor General and the Lieutenant Governors all enhance our sense of identity and reflect our rich and vibrant traditions.

Most often, the Governor General or Lieutenant Governors perform ceremonial functions on behalf of the Queen in her absence. All such functions have dynamic and symbolic elements that identify the presence of the Crown. The Queen and her representatives in Canada each have their own personal flags, which are flown in their presence. As well, guards of honour, gun salutes and the playing of Canada's Royal Anthem "God Save The Queen" and National Anthem "O Canada" are all reminders that such official honours are reserved for Canada's head of State, whose presence helps to unify the entire country by making us all more aware of the national community we share.

Governor General Roland
Michener presents the Order
of Canada to Lester Pearson.
The Order was instituted on
April 17, 1967 by Queen
Elizabeth II on the advice of
Prime Minister Pearson.
Rideau Hall. Ottawa, Ontario.
November 1968.

Governor General Ed Schreyer is
presented with the parliamentary
address (leading to the eventual
patriation of the Constitution) by the
Speaker of the House of Commons,
Jeanne Sauvé. Two and a half years
later, Mme Sauvé succeeded Mr.
Schreyer as Canada's 23rd Governor
General. Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Ontario.
December 1981.

Victoria Day, observed on the first Monday preceding May 25, was established as a national holiday in 1901 by the Canadian Parliament. "The Queen's Birthday" celebrates the birthdays of Queen Victoria (May 24, 1819) and Queen Elizabeth, whose actual birthday is April 21, 1926.

Royal Visits

King George VI and
Queen Elizabeth
(parents of Queen
Elizabeth II) during
the historic 1939
Royal Visit to Canada.

Today, Canadians are quite familiar with visits by the Queen and members of her family. Modern means of transportation and communication have made such visits an almost annual part of our national life and serve to bring the Crown into very personal contact with the people it represents -- all Canadians, regardless of language, race, colour or religion.

Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh at Edmonton City Hall. Edmonton, Alberta. May 2005.

Although members of the Sovereign's family have been visiting Canada for well over two hundred years, it was only in 1939 that a reigning monarch arrived on our shores. In that year, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, undertook an extensive six-week tour across Canada and endeared themselves to every single Canadian they met. The first visit by Queen Elizabeth II was made in 1951 when, as Princess Elizabeth, she and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, began their close and enduring association with Canada.

A Canadian holds an earlier portrait of Her Majesty The Queen during the walkabout at Old Government House in Fredericton, New Brunswick. October 2002.

...my admiration and affection for Canada and Canadians everywhere is, and will always remain - clear, strong and sure. This too, Ladies and Gentlemen, is for me a constant, an enduring point of reference in these times of change.

Queen Elizabeth II
Gatineau, Quebec
October 2002

Through a deliberate effort to visit every province and territory, the Queen and members of her family have developed an extensive knowledge of and affection for all parts of this land and its people. In much the same way, royal visits put a very human face on royalty and allow Canadians to express the affection and admiration that is so genuine and evident during such visits.

The connection between Her Majesty and Canadians is enduring and deeply rooted. Her genuine affection for our country and our people extends beyond her role as Sovereign. Canadians recognize this heartfelt kinship and have reciprocated with great fondness and admiration....

Governor General
Michaëlle Jean
Victoria Day Message
May 2007

In addition to providing a focus for the strong bond between Canadians and their Sovereign, royal visits are a very real reminder of our collective heritage and status as both a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. The Queen and members of her family frequently use such visits to associate themselves with worthy causes. For example, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Earl of Wessex (Prince Edward) are strong supporters of the Duke of Edinburgh's Awards, which encourage young people to excel to the best of their abilities and talents. The Princess Royal (Princess Anne) is President of the Save the Children Fund and fosters a greater understanding among all people about the plight of disadvantaged children. Royal visits have, therefore, a unique way of contributing to our understanding of who we are as members of the Canadian family and our place within the community of nations.

While in Canada, the Queen and members of her family often lend support to other noteworthy causes that mirror the ongoing themes of office chosen by the Governor General and/or Lieutenant Governors. The need for environmental preservation, the plight of socially disadvantaged people, the role of voluntarism and community service, the promise of scientific and medical research, and the creation of new educational skill sets are but a few of these subjects that warrant enhanced public attention and action. With the exposure garnered through royal visits, timely issues are kept in the public consciousness and highlighted as a sustained commitment to the building of a stronger and more inclusive society.

Increasingly, themes are developed that serve to provide a comprehensive framework for all royal visit programming. For example, Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh visited Saskatchewan and Alberta in 2005 to pay tribute to the 100th anniversary of the entry of these two provinces into Confederation. Quite appropriately, the theme was "Honouring the Spirit of Nation Builders," combining a profiling and tribute to past and present community builders while challenging youth to envisage and shape the Canada of the future. As with all such visits, the intent is to bring to live the institution of the Canadian Crown through close-up encounters and the active involvement of as many Canadians as possible.

The Canada Post definitive stamp of Her Majesty The Queen.

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Queen Elizabeth II visits
the Canadian Light Source Synchrotron.
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. May 2005.

Official royal visits to Canada are coordinated by the Department of Canadian Heritage in connection with the provinces and/or territories included in the itinerary.

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The warmth of the reception accorded to Her Majesty and yourself...speaks more eloquently that any one of us ever could of the admiration, respect and affection that we have for your lives that have been lived in duty, discipline and dedication to public service.

The Honourable Iona Campagnolo
Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
(speaking to The Duke of Edinburgh)
Vancouver, British Columbia
October 2002

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