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Canadian heraldry

The Coat of Arms of Canada as first proclaimed in 1921
Tradition	Gallo-British
Governance	Canadian Heraldic Authority
Chief Officer	Claire Boudreau, Chief Herald of Canada
Heraldry portal

Canadian heraldry refers to the cultural tradition and style of coats of arms and other heraldic achievements in modern and historic Canada, including national, provincial, and civic arms, noble and personal arms, ecclesiastical heraldry, heraldic displays as corporate logos, and Canadian heraldic descriptions.

Canadian heraldry derives mainly from heraldic traditions in France and the United Kingdom while adding distinctly Canadian symbols, especially those which reference the First Nations and other aboriginal peoples of Canada. Canadian heraldry has a unique system of cadency for daughters inheriting arms, and a special symbol for United Empire Loyalists. Since 1988, both personal and corporate heraldry in Canada has been officially governed by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, which reviews all applications for arms.

History

The Royal Arms of France

The history of heraldry in Canada began with the raising of the Royal Arms of France by Jacques Cartier in 1534, when he landed on Canadian soil at what is now known as the Gaspé Peninsula.^[1] From the beginning of the settlement of Canada until the Treaty of Paris in 1763, armorial bearings were either brought from France or awarded by the French crown. Upon ratification of the Treaty, the British Crown confirmed the French awards of arms.^[1]

Between 1763 and 1867, the year of Canadian Confederation, there is little evidence of much heraldic activity.^[1] After Confederation, however, heraldry in Canada became more widespread, including grants of arms to the provinces, various educational institutions, municipalities, and individuals.^[1] From the beginning of this period until 1988, heraldry in Canada was under the authority of the College of Arms in London and the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh. In the late 1980s, the Queen issued Letters Patent creating the Canadian Heraldic Authority.^[1][2]

Modern heraldry

Official

Before the creation of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, Canadians wishing to obtain a legally granted coat of arms had to apply to one of the two heraldic offices in the United Kingdom: either the College of Arms in London or, if of Scottish descent, the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh.^[2] This process was quite lengthy—and costly. In addition, the heralds in Britain could sometimes be unfamiliar with Canadian history and symbols.^[4] In time, many Canadians with an interest in heraldry began calling for an office which would offer armorial bearings designed by and for Canadians.^[3]

As early as 1967, plans were reportedly in the works to transfer overview of heraldry from the College of Arms in the UK to Canada.^[5] The push for a wholly-Canadian heraldic system came largely from the Heraldry Society of Canada (now the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada^[6]) almost from its inception,^[7] though it was not seen as a priority by successive national governments.^[3] In 1986, Vicki Huntington, a politician from British Columbia, forwarded a brief written by the RHSC calling for the creation of the Canadian Heraldic Authority to a staff member in then-Secretary of State David Crombie's office.^[3] Mr. Crombie had his department organise a meeting in Ottawa the following year, to which many national and international heraldic experts were invited. The meeting concluded with "a strong recommendation to government that an Authority be created."^[3]

Two years later, on 4 June 1988, then-Governor General Jeanne Sauvé authorized the creation of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, made possible by Letters Patent, signed by the Queen on the advice of her Canadian Privy Council, and presented by Prince Edward.^[2][3] As a result Canada became the first Commonwealth realm outside the United Kingdom to have its own heraldic authority.^[2][3] Canada also provides full equality to women in terms of inheriting and transmitting arms.^[3] Additionally, all armigers within Canada may file for trademark protection of their grant of arms under the Trade-Marks Act.^[8]

State and national

The coat of arms of Canada in 1957

The Arms of Canada (also known as the Royal Arms of Canada^[9] or the Arms of Her Majesty in Right of Canada^[10]) has been, since 1921, the official coat of arms of the Canadian monarch, and thus also of Canada. It is derived from the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom,^[11] with distinctive Canadian elements – the maple leaves and the reference to the French Royal Arms in the fourth quarter,^[12] – replacing or added to those derived from the British.^[11]

The arms are used as a mark of authority by various government agencies and representatives, including the Prime Minister^[13] and Cabinet,^[14] the Speaker of the House of Commons,^[15] Parliament^[16] and most courts, including the Supreme Court.^[17] It is also present on all denominations of Canadian paper currency (the way the Arms are printed on each bill is a security feature),^[18] and on the cover of Canadian passports.^[19] Since 1962, a banner of the arms, defaced with a variant of the Queen's cypher, has formed the Royal Standard of Canada, for use by the sovereign in her capacity as monarch of Canada.^[20] The personal flag of the Governor General has, since 1981, featured the crest of the arms of Canada on a blue background.^[21][22]

In June 2008, MP Pat Martin introduced a motion into the House of Commons calling on the government to amend the coat of arms to incorporate symbols representing Canada's First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.^[23]

Provincial

The coat of arms of Québec including fleurs-de-lis from France, the lion from England, and the Canadian maple leaf

In much the same way that there is a national coat of arms, each province and territory possesses its own unique arms;^[24] Saskatchewan's is known formally as Her Majesty's Arms in Right Of Saskatchewan.^[25] The year after Confederation, Queen Victoria issued Royal Warrants assigning arms to Canada's original four provinces: Québec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.^[10]

Each provincial coat of arms includes specific local symbolism;^[24] most also include symbolism derived from the coats of arms of the United Kingdom, France, or both. Since 1868, each province and territory within Canada has been granted arms through warrants either from the monarch directly or from the Governor General, or has assumed them through other means.^[10]

Apart from Newfoundland and Labrador,^[26] each province and territory bears at least some elements from its coat of arms upon its flag. The flags of British Columbia,^[27] New Brunswick,^[28] Nova Scotia,^[29] and Prince Edward Island^[30] are banners of the provincial arms, while Alberta,^[31] Manitoba,^[32] Ontario,^[33] Saskatchewan,^[34] the Northwest Territories,^[35] and the Yukon^[36] each have the shield of the local coat of arms on their flags, with other design elements. The flag of Nunavut^[37] uses some elements from its coat of arms along with other symbols and colours.

The shield of the arms of each province, on a blue background and circled with ten gold maple leaves, the whole surmounted by a crown, forms the main element of the flag of the Lieutenant-Governor of that province. The exceptions are Nova Scotia, which uses the Union Flag defaced with the shield of Nova Scotia, surrounded by green maple leaves, and Quebec, which uses the shield on a white circle with the provincial motto inscribed below.^[38]

Municipal

The use of armorial bearings amongst Canadian cities is inconsistent, because the arms of many Canadian cities have been assumed and brought into force by local governmental authorities, as opposed to being granted from the Crown.^[39] Many municipal coats of arms either awarded or confirmed by the Canadian Heraldic Authority may be found within the Public Register of Arms, though the online version of the Register is not complete.^[40]

Personal

In Canada, every citizen has the right to petition the Crown for a grant of arms.^[41] Canadians who have been appointed to the Order of Canada are automatically entitled to receive an award of arms including the ribbon of the Order, or should they already be armigerous, to encircle their extant arms with the ribbon.^[42] The following are entitled to supporters in their arms:

• Governor General and Lieutenants Governor
• Chief Justice
• Prime Minister
• Privy Councillors
• Herald Chancellor and his or her Deputy
• The Speakers of the House of Commons and the Senate
• Commanders of the Orders of Military Merit, Merit of the Police Forces, and of the Royal Victorian Order
• Bailiffs and Dames Grand Cross of the Venerable Order of St. John
• Companions of the Order of Canada
• Most corporate bodies^[42][43]

Unique Canadian elements and practices

Aboriginal and First Nations symbolism

Due to the history of Canada, heraldry in the country has incorporated symbols and elements from aboriginal and First Nations people.^[44] The coat of arms of Nunavut,^[37] for example, includes elements such as an inukshuk, a qulliq, and an igloo, all of which are references to the Inuit peoples who live in the area,^[45][46] while the arms of the Canadian Heraldic Authority include ravens, a First Nations symbol of creation and transformation.^[41]

Cadency

In most systems of heraldry, each unique coat of arms is restricted to a single person. To differentiate identical arms, a system known as cadency was developed, possibly by John Writhe in 1500,^[47] which adds a mark known as a brisure to the plain coat of arms.^[48] Most nations have cadences defined (either officially or through convention) only for male children who inherit otherwise identical arms; Canada has a unique series of cadences for use by female children who inherit arms. As in other heraldic systems, these cadency marks are not always used,^[43] though when they are used, the cadences of the heir (in Canada, the first child, whether male or female, according to strict primogeniture) are removed once the holder dies and the plain coat of arms is inherited.^[49]

Brisures^{[N 1]}

	First	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth	Seventh	Eighth	Ninth
Daughter
	heart	ermine spot	snowflake	a fir twig	chess rook	escallop	harp	buckle	clarion
Son
	label of three points	crescent	mullet	martlet	annulet	fleur-de-lys	rose	cross moline	double quatrefoil[N 2]

Status of women

In both the English^[47] and the Scottish^[49] systems of heraldry, from which the Canadian draws many of its practices,^[3] a woman does not inherit or transmit arms unless she is an heraldic heiress,^[50] that is, a daughter of an armiger who has no sons. In Canadian heraldry, by contrast, women may inherit arms on an equal basis with their brothers (if any).^[3] Women in Canada may also transmit their arms to their heirs, regardless of gender.^[3] This system of equality for men and women is a result of provisions in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms^[3] which guarantee, amongst other things, freedom from discrimination under the law on the basis of sex.^[51]

United Empire Loyalists

The Civil (left) and Military (right) coronets

Those who are descended from the citizens loyal to the British Crown who fled the United States during and shortly after the revolution are known in Canada as United Empire Loyalists,^[52] and are entitled to the use of special coronets within their arms, if arms are granted to them.^[53] There are two versions of the Loyalist coronet: the civil, which is made up of alternating oak and maple leaves, and the military, made up of maple leaves alternating with crossed swords.^[53] Proof of Loyalist heritage must be provided to the Canadian Heraldic Authority before permission is granted to use the coronet in arms.^[43]

Obtaining arms

All citizens of Canada, as well as corporate bodies, may petition the Crown for an award of arms.^[41] The process for non-armigerous people to obtain arms is relatively simple. For an individual to obtain a grant of arms, a petition must be sent to the Chief Herald, providing a biography, references, and completed application forms. Upon approval of the grant, the individual then consults with heralds from the Authority to work out the design of their award. Upon completion of this process, the grant documents, in the form of letters patent, are created and provided to the grantee. The entire process is subject to certain fees required by the Government of Canada to cover costs of research and artwork; the fees are not to 'purchase' the grant of arms. For corporations and institutions the process is similar.^[41]

Those individuals and institutions who already possess awards of arms may apply to the Canadian Heraldic Authority to have their arms registered. There is no cost associated with application for registration, and it takes less time, approximately three months,^[54] than application for a new award of arms, which takes approximately twelve to fourteen months.^[41]

See also

Heraldry portal

• Coat of arms of Canada
• Flag of Canada
• National symbols of Canada

Notes

References

External links

• Canadian Heraldic Authority
• The Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada
• Royal Heraldry Society of Canada
• Canadian Heritage: The Symbols of Canada

Heraldry in Canada Organizations Governor General · Canadian Heraldic Authority · Public Register of Arms · Royal Heraldry Society of Canada National Arms Arms of Canada · Flag of Canada Provincial and Territorial Arms Alberta · British Columbia · Manitoba · New Brunswick · Newfoundland and Labrador · Northwest Territories · Nova Scotia · Nunavut · Ontario · Prince Edward Island · Quebec · Saskatchewan · Yukon Municipal Arms Capital cities Ottawa · Charlottetown · Edmonton · Fredericton · Halifax · Iqaluit · Quebec City · Regina · St. John's · Toronto · Victoria · Whitehorse · Winnipeg · Yellowknife · More Related Royal Standard of Canada · Flag of the Governor General · Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom

The Canadian Heraldic Authority Organizations Canadian Heraldic Authority | Governor General Officers Herald Chancellor | Chief Herald | Deputy Chief Herald Heralds in Ordinary Assiniboine | Athabaska | Coppermine | Fraser | Miramichi | Saguenay | Saint-Laurent Heralds Extraordinary and Emeritus Albion | Capilano | Cowichan | Dauphin | Niagara | Rouge | Outaouais | Rideau