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Chapter 8: Canadian symbols

The Crown and Canada's flags

The Crown stands for the Canadian state. It covers Parliament, the provincial legislatures, the courts, police services and the Armed Forces, and it has been a symbol of the state in Canada for about 400 years. Canada has been a constitutional monarchy in its own right since Confederation in 1867.

The Maple Leaf flag was first raised in 1965. Its red-white-red pattern comes from the flag of the Royal Military College in Kingston, founded in 1876. Red and white, the old colours of France and England, have been Canada's national colours since 1921. Before 1965, the Canadian Red Ensign served as the flag for about 100 years. The Union Jack remains Canada's official Royal Flag, and each province and territory has its own flag.

Maple leaf, fleur-de-lis, coat of arms and motto

The maple leaf is Canada's best-known symbol. French Canadians took it up in the 1700s, it has appeared on uniforms and insignia since the 1850s, and it is carved on the headstones of Canadian soldiers buried overseas.

The fleur-de-lis is a lily. The French king adopted it in 496, and it was a royal symbol of France, including New France, for over 1,000 years. It returned at Confederation as part of the Red Ensign, and in 1948 Quebec adopted a flag built on a cross and the fleur-de-lis.

After the First World War, Canada adopted a coat of arms and the motto "A mari usque ad mare" (Latin for "from sea to sea"). The arms show symbols of England, France, Scotland and Ireland together with red maple leaves.

The Parliament Buildings

The Parliament Buildings in Ottawa were completed in the 1860s, and their design draws on French, English and Aboriginal (Indigenous) traditions. In 1916 an accidental fire destroyed the Centre Block. Only the Library survived, and the Centre Block was rebuilt by 1922.

The Peace Tower was finished in 1927 in memory of the First World War. Inside it, the Memorial Chamber holds the Books of Remembrance, which record the names of soldiers, sailors and airmen who died serving Canada in war or while on duty.

The provincial legislatures are also fine buildings. Quebec's National Assembly is in the French Second Empire style.

Sports and the beaver

Ice hockey developed in Canada in the 1800s. It is the national winter sport and the most popular sport to watch. Lord Stanley, a Governor General, donated the Stanley Cup in 1892, and Adrienne Clarkson created the Clarkson Cup for women's hockey in 2005. Canadian football is the second most popular sport to watch, while soccer has the most players. Lacrosse, first played by Aboriginal (Indigenous) peoples, is the official summer sport. A Canadian, James Naismith, invented basketball in 1891.

The beaver was adopted centuries ago as the symbol of the Hudson's Bay Company, and in 1834 it became an emblem of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society. Today it appears on the five-cent coin and on the coats of arms of Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Official languages and anthems

English and French are Canada's two official languages and an important part of Canadian identity. The Official Languages Act of 1969 aims to make the two languages equal in Parliament, the Government of Canada and federal institutions, to help official language minority communities thrive, and to promote equality of English and French across society. Most Francophones live in Quebec.

O Canada was first sung in Quebec City in 1880 and was proclaimed the national anthem in 1980. The royal anthem, God Save the King (or Queen), can be played at public events that honour the Sovereign.

Honours and the Victoria Cross

Orders, decorations and medals are the official ways Canada recognizes outstanding citizens. For many years Canada used British honours, but it started its own system with the Order of Canada in 1967, the 100th anniversary of Confederation.

The Victoria Cross is the highest honour a Canadian can receive. It is given for the most conspicuous bravery, a daring act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy. The first Canadian to win it was Lieutenant Alexander Roberts Dunn, in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War (1854). Able Seaman William Hall of Horton, Nova Scotia, was the first Black man to win it, at the siege of Lucknow in India in 1857.

National holidays

Canada's holidays mark its history and traditions. Discover Canada lists the following dates. The year begins with New Year's Day on 1 January, and Sir John A. Macdonald Day falls on 11 January. Good Friday and Easter Monday move each year. Vimy Day is 9 April. Victoria Day, on the Monday before 25 May, celebrates the Sovereign's birthday. Quebec's Fête nationale is 24 June, and Canada Day on 1 July marks Confederation.

Labour Day is the first Monday of September and Thanksgiving is the second Monday of October. Remembrance Day is 11 November and Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day is 20 November. The year ends with Christmas Day on 25 December and Boxing Day on 26 December. Sir John A. Macdonald Day, Vimy Day and Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day are commemorative days rather than days off work. Since the guide was written, 30 September has also become the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a federal statutory holiday first observed in 2021.

Practice questions on this chapter

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