National symbols of Canada

Over the course of centuries, a multitude ofnational symbolsand material items have arisen as uniquelyCanadianor possessing uniquely Canadian characteristics. These symbols and items represent theculture of Canada—protectionism of that culture,identity,values,nationalism,and theheritage of its inhabitants.^[1]

Themes and symbols of nature, pioneers, trappers, and traders played an important part in the early development of Canadian symbolism.^[2]Modern symbols emphasize the country's geography, cold climate, lifestyles, and the Canadianization of traditional European and indigenous symbols.^[3]

A 2013Statistics Canadasurvey found that more than 90% of those polled believed that thenational flagand theCanadian Charter of Rights and Freedomswere the top symbols of Canadian identity. Next highest were the national anthem ( "O Canada"), theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police,andice hockey.^[4]A similar poll byIpsos-Reidin 2008 indicated that themaple leafwas the primary item that defines Canada, followed by ice hockey, the national flag, thebeaver,theCanadarm,Canada Day,andCanadian Forces peacekeeping.^[5]

Predominant symbols

The mother beaveron the Canadian parliament'sPeace Tower.^[6]The five flowers on the shield surrounded by maple leafs each represent an ethnicity—Tudor rose:English;Fleur de lis:French;thistle:Scottish;shamrock:Irish;andleek:Welsh.

Canada's most well known symbol is themaple leaf,which was first used by French colonists in the 1700s.^[7]Since the 1850s, under British rule, the maple leaf has been used on military uniforms and, subsequently, engraved on the headstones of individuals who have served in theCanadian Armed Forces.^[8]The maple leaf is prominently depicted on the country'scurrentandpreviousflags and on thecountry's coat of arms.The maple leaf has also been seen on thepennybefore circulation of that coin was stopped in 2013. Canada's official tartan, known as the "Maple leaf tartan",consists of four colours reflecting those of the maple leaf as it changes through the seasons—green in thespring,gold in the earlyautumn,red at the firstfrost,and brown after falling.^[9]

Other prominent symbols include the national motto,A Mari Usque Ad Mare(From Sea to Sea),^[10]the sports ofhockeyandlacrosse,thebeaver,Canada goose,Canadian horse,theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police,theCanadian Rockies,theCanadian parliamentary complex,theCanadarm,^[11]and, more recently, the Canadianization oftotem polesandInuksuks,^[12]With material items such asCanadian beer,maple syrup,tuques,canoes,nanaimo bars,butter tarts,and the Quebec dish ofpoutinebeing defined as uniquely Canadian.^[12]^[13]A six-pointed, hexagonalsnowflakeused as the insignia for theOrder of Canadahas come to symbolize Canada's northern heritage and diversity.^[14]The country's institutions ofhealthcare,military peacekeeping,thenational park system,and theCharter of Rights and Freedomsare seen as uniquely Canadian by its citizens.^[15]^[16]

The Crown,displaying traditionalcross pattéesandfleurs-de-lis,symbolizes theCanadian monarchy^[17]and appears on the coat of arms, thegovernor general's flag,^[17]the coats of arms of manyprovinces and territories;the badges of several federal departments, the Canadian Armed Forces andRoyal Military College of Canada,many regiments, police forces, on buildings, as well as some highway signs and licence plates. Also, the image of Her Late Majesty QueenElizabeth IIis on Canadian stamps,$20 bank notes,andall coins,soon to be replaced by His Majesty King Charles III, King of Canada.^[18]A poll taken in 2022 determined that 55 per cent of respondents agreed thecountry's monarchyhelps define Canadian identity and six in 10 felt it helps to differentiate Canada from the United States.^[19]

Official and de facto symbols

The following is a list of official and de facto symbols, as recognized by the government of Canada.^[20]They are not shown in any order of precedence.

Symbol	Image	Notes
National flag^[20]		Official symbol as of February 15, 1965^[20]
Royal Standard of Canada^[21]		Royal symboladopted in 1962
Governor general's standard		Viceregal symbol adopted in 1981^[22]
Royal Union Flag^[23]^[17]		Affirmed by parliament as a national symbol on December 18, 1964^[24]^[25]
Canadian Royal Crown^[26]		Royal symbol approved in April 2023 byKing Charles IIIon the advice of thePrime Minister of Canada^[27]
Royal cypher^[17]		Royal symbol since 2022^[28]
RoyalCoat of Arms of Canada^[20]^[29]		Royal symbol as of November 21, 1921. Official 1957 rendition shown.^[20]
Canada wordmark^[30]
Great Seal^[20]		De facto symbol since 1867 (current version since November 14, 1955)^[20]
National anthem^[20]	"O Canada"	Official since July 1, 1980 (song dates back to 1880)^[20]
Royal anthem^[17]	"God Save the King"	De factoroyal anthemthat dates back to 1745^[31]
Motto^[20]	A Mari Usque Ad Mare (From sea to sea)	Officially adopted on November 21, 1921^[20]
National colours^[20]^[32]^[33]	Red #ff0000 White #FFFFFF	De facto symbol that dates back toGeorge Stanley's rationale in the design of theFlag of Canadaadopted February 15, 1965,^[32]or to an order of KingGeorge Vdated November 21, 1921,^[20]or to the creation of QueenElizabeth II'sstandardin 1961^[33]
National tree^[20]	Sugar maple	Official symbol since 1996^[20]
Additional national symbol^[20]	Maple leaf	De facto symbol since the 1700s^[20]
National animals^[20]	North American beaver	Official symbol since 1975^[20]
National animals^[20]	Canadian horse	Official symbol since 2002^[20]
National sport^[20]^[34]	Lacrosse(summer)	Officially adopted on May 12, 1994^[20]
National sport^[20]^[34]	Ice hockey(winter)	Officially adopted on May 12, 1994^[20]
National tartan^[20]	Maple leaf tartan	Officially adopted on March 9, 2011^[20]
Royal Canadian Mounted Police^[20]		De facto symbol since 1920^[20]
Parliament Hill^[20]		De facto symbol; built between 1859 and 1927^[20]