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The Maple Leaf

The distinctively-shaped听maple leaf听is the most common catch-all symbol for Canada, appearing not only on the Canadian national flag (see below), but virtually every logo听of a Canadian corporation or charity, or any other organization that needs to make its 鈥淐anadianness鈥� instantly known.

The maple leaf is听a听symbol that鈥檚 been so famous for so long that no one seems to remember exactly where it came from or how it got to be so popular. Various species of maple trees听(of the plant family听Aceraceae) can be found in most regions of Canada, and their multipurpose functionality as both a provider of lumber and edible, sweet听syrup has proved useful to many generations of Canadians over the centuries. In one sense, the maple听can be viewed听as a tree that rewards labour and perseverance, and evokes the history of early Canadians听able to听鈥渢ame鈥� the wilderness for their own benefit. But to many others, it鈥檚 simply a pretty tree with a pretty leaf that has become associated with Canada 鈥� and that鈥檚 good enough.

The Canadian Flag

Like every other country on earth, Canada has a national flag suitable for flying, hanging or waving in any circumstance where a bit听of patriotic pride is needed. Adopted in 1965, the official flag of Canada is known as the Maple Leaf, and consists of a stylized red leaf on a white background bordered by two red bars on either side. Unusually for a national flag, no part of the design is supposed to听represent anything in particular; the stylized leaf was simply created as a neutral symbol of Canadian unity, and there is no official explanation of what the colours or bars are supposed to mean.

Every province in Canada has its own flag as well, as do many cities. The history and evolution of Canadian flags is a fairly large and interesting topic in its own right, so for more information, please check out the Canadian flags chapter.

Canadian Animals

The wilderness itself may be Canada鈥檚 most iconic symbol. As an enormous country with more untouched nature than any other, it鈥檚 unsurprising a vast assortment of things associated with the great outdoors feature so prominently in the Canadian gallery of national symbols. As the original residents of nature, Canada’s diverse array of wild animals are among听its most famous representatives.

The beaver (Castor canadensis) is the most famous听Canadian animal. It appears on the Canadian nickel and is often used by cartoonists to personify the country as a whole, much like 鈥淯ncle Sam鈥� or a听Chinese dragon. Though today beavers are often听celebrated for their听plucky, hardworking character,听chomping down trees to build elaborate live-in dams, the original Canadian attraction to beavers was much less respectful: they had good fur for making hats. Prized for its smooth, waterproof texture, beaver fur was one of Canada鈥檚 main exports to Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. So much so, in fact, that the animal was almost hunted to extinction by early Canadian fur traders. Saved by changing tastes in fashion, today they can be found lurking in riverbeds all across the country.

Less rich in specific symbolism are some of the beaver鈥檚 furry pals, such as the moose, the polar bear, the black bear, the mountain lion, the mountain goat, the elk, the Arctic wolf, the raccoon, the lynx and the bison, all of which are common sights not only in the Canadian wilderness, but also Canadian airport gift shops. And then there are听the birds, including the听loon (Gavia immer) 鈥� the national bird of Canada and namesake of the loonie 鈥� and the not-quite-so beloved Canada goose (Branta canadensis), an elegant-looking animal that is nevertheless quite ornery and unpleasant in its interactions听with humans. Every province has its own official bird as well, the most famous of which are probably the snowy owl of Quebec and the puffin of Prince Edward Island.

The Canadian Coat of Arms

Like most countries of European heritage, Canada has a grandiose heraldic symbol听known as the Coat of Arms听(also known as the national crest) that appears on things like passports, government publications and wax seals. It鈥檚 a very complicated and detailed illustration that is almost entirely identical to Britain鈥檚 Royal Coat of Arms, which dates back to the 17th century.

The crest鈥檚 symbolism is largely British, and is somewhat controversial for the degree it illustrates a very Anglo-European conception of Canada: it depicts an English lion and a听Scottish unicorn holding a shield听displaying medieval听icons of the English, Scottish, and Irish peoples of the British Isles, plus the fleur-de-lis of the French and the maple leaves of Canada. At the creatures鈥� feet sit a medley of plants representing the Scottish, Irish, English, and Welsh. The animals stand below the flags of the United Kingdom and medieval France, symbolizing Canada鈥檚 so-called 鈥渢wo founding nations.鈥�

Canada has two national mottoes, both of which are inscribed in Latin on the crest. The first (on the red belt around the shield) is Desiderantes Meliorem Patriam, or 鈥淭hey Desire a Better Country,鈥� which acknowledges the immigrants who have built Canada and Canadians鈥� ongoing desire for national self-improvement. The other (on the blue ribbon at the bottom) is A Mari usque ad Mare, or 鈥淔rom Sea to Sea,鈥� which celebrates the country鈥檚 vast geography.

Mounties

Officers of the听 (RCMP),听苍颈肠办苍补尘别诲听Mounties, have been one of Canada鈥檚 most iconic symbols for generations.

The RCMP was founded in 1873,听originally known as the North-West Mounted Police, and were initially used to bring law and order to Canada鈥檚 newly-aquired Prairie provinces and northern territories. Their adventures in the untamed Canadian wilderness, full of wild animals, crazy cowboys, greedy prospectors, and (as they saw it) dangerous Indians听became the subject of many Hollywood movies in the early 20th century, and helped make Canada’s听cops an internally-known symbol of Canadian life.

Today, RCMP officers rarely wear their iconic red uniforms and wide-brimmed hats except on ceremonial occasions, but full-dressed officers are a common sight on Canadian souvenirs, postcards, and toys.

The National Anthem

There have been a lot of patriotic songs written about Canada over the years, but until 1980 none held the lofty status of Canada鈥檚 official national anthem. Initially, the country was just supposed to use听God Save the King/Queen, the royal anthem of Great Britain, for official purposes, but as the years went on there was growing interest in using a more听uniquely Canadian song,听with The Maple Leaf Forever (1867) and O Canada (1880) emerging as the two most popular tunes.听O Canada eventually won out, and was given official anthem status when Parliament passed the 听in 1980. (God Save the King may still be sung in addition to O Canada in some very formal ceremonies, usually ones involving the military or wartime remembrance in some way.)

The lyrics to O Canada go like this:

Like most national anthems, the Canadian anthem has听several other verses as well, but these are never sung at public occasions since no one knows the words.听Note as well that prior to 2016, when the was passed, the line 鈥渋n all of us command鈥� was 鈥渋n all thy sons command.鈥� It was changed to make the anthem 鈥済ender neutral.鈥�

O Canada was actually originally written in French, and there are unique French lyrics as well. Depending on how politically-correct the setting,听singers may be expected to lapse into French for a few verses at听some point. The French lyrics are as follows: