Canadian royal symbols are the visual and auditory identifiers of the Canadian monarchy and the monarch's viceroys, in both the country's federal and provincial jurisdictions. These may specifically distinguish authoritative organizations – such as parliament or police forces – establishments with royal associations, or merely be ways of expressing loyal or patriotic sentiment, their overall frequency making them a prevalent part of the everyday lives of Canadians.
Most royal symbols in Canada are based on inherited predecessors from France, England, and Scotland, the evidence of which is still visible today, though over time adaptations have been made to include uniquely Canadian elements. Some representations were discarded during and after the 1970s, in an effort to appease Quebec separatism within an evolving Canadian identity, though others were, at the same time, created. Today, symbols of the monarchy can be seen in military badges, provincial and national coats of arms, royal prefixes, and eponymous names of geographical locations and monuments.
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Purpose
The present-day use of royal symbols has developed from the first royal emblems and images of French, English, Scottish, and later, British monarchs that were brought by colonists to New France and British North America to represent the authority of the sovereign back in Europe; the first verifiable use of a royal symbol in Canada was when Jacques Cartier in 1534 raised on the Gaspé Peninsula the royal arms of France.[1] Since then, some icons were created for use uniquely in the Canadas – mostly coats of arms – but only after the First World War did increases in Canadian nationalism lead to changes in the appearance and meaning of royal symbols amongst Canadians. Since Canada gained full legislative independence from the United Kingdom in 1931, images of the reigning monarch have been employed to signify either Canada's membership in the Commonwealth of Nations,[2] the Crown's authority, loyalty to Canada,[3] or Canada's full statehood.[4]
Images of the sovereign
The main symbol of the monarchy is the sovereign him or herself, being described as "the personal expression of the Crown in Canada" and the personification of the Canadian state.[3][5] Thus, the image of the sovereign acts as an indication of that individual's authority, and therefore appears on objects created by order of the Crown-in-Council, such as coins, postage stamps, and the Great Seal of Canada. Through the 1800s, effigies and pictures of the monarch – Queen Victoria, especially – came to be symbolic of the wider British Empire to which Canada belonged. As with other royal symbols, though, the general domestic meaning of the sovereign's portrait altered through the 20th century. The Royal Cypher is also regarded as a personal logo of the monarch, generally consisting of his or her initials. In Canada, the cypher has come to be indicative of the country's full sovereignty.[6]
Coinage and postage
Coins were one of the first objects to bear the image of the reigning sovereign in what is today Canada;[7] for example, French colonists after 1640 employed the Louis d'or (Gold Louis), which first bore the effigy of King Louis XIII, and then all subsequent French monarchs until the transfer of New France to the British in 1763, after which British sovereigns and coppers were used, sometimes long after the end of the reign of the monarch appearing on the coin.[7] The first coins minted specifically for the Province of Canada came in 1858, and had on their obverse the image of Queen Victoria, as did the first coins of the Dominion of Canada.[7] Since then, the reigning sovereign's image has remained printed on Canadian coins, illustrating the responsibility of the monarch (as the state) to guarantee the value of the medium of exchange. The effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on current Canadian coins was rendered by Susannah Blunt.[8]
Images of the reigning monarch and his or her family have also traditionally been printed on postage stamps in Canada since 1851, when Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert, were shown on 12- and 6-pence stamps, respectively, for mail in the Province of Canada.[9][10] Queen Elizabeth was depicted in 59 successive stamp designs in Canada, starting in 1939, when she was still Princess Elizabeth of York, and continuing on to the Queen Elizabeth II definitive stamps released in the 2000s.[11][12]
Artworks
Portraits of the sovereigns of Canada's territories have been displayed in the coutntry since permanent settlements were first established by Europeans. Only after the turn of the 20th century, however, have the monarchs of Canada been portrayed by Canadian artists in paint, sculpture, and photography. Formal likenesses of the monarch are often found in government buildings, military installations, many schools, as well as Canada's high commissions and embassies abroad.[13] A full collection of portraits of sovereigns of Canada and its predecessor territories going back to King Francis I has been amassed by Senator Serge Joyal, eight of which are on full display in the Senate foyer of the parliament buildings' Centre Block.[14][15]
Queen Elizabeth II has posed for a number of Canada's prominent photographers, the first being Yousuf Karsh, who made a formal portrait of a 17 year old Princess Elizabeth, and later took a series of official pictures of the Princess, just months before she acceded to the throne, in formal and informal poses. Karsh was commissioned on two subsequent occasions to create series of pictures of the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, once prior to Elizabeth's 1967 tour of Canada for the centenary of Canada's confederation, when he photographed the royal couple at Buckingham Palace, and again in 1984, creating a set of portraits that included a shot of the Queen with her corgi, Shadow. Prior to her second tour of Canada as queen in 1959, Elizabeth requested that a Canadian photographer take her pre-tour pictures, and Donald McKeague of Toronto was selected. Then, in 1973, Onnig Cavoukian, also from Toronto, made a photographic portrait that was dubbed "The Citizen Queen" because of the informal way in which Elizabeth was depicted. Rideau Hall photographer John Evans captured the sovereign on film in 1977, during her Silver Jubilee stay in Ottawa; Evans portrayed the Queen following her return from opening parliament, wearing the Sovereign's insignia of the Order of Canada and Order of the Garter on a gown with gold fringes that was suggestive of an aboriginal princess.[13] More recently, photographic portraits of Queen Elizabeth II were made in 2002, as part of her Golden Jubilee celebrations, and in 2005, when she marked the centenaries of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The Queen has also been the subject of Canadian painters, including Hilton Hassell, who depicted Princess Elizabeth square dancing at Rideau Hall in 1951, and Jean Paul Lemieux, who's 1979 work affectionate memory images combines "the familiar and the constitutional" by portraying the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in a meadow in front of the Canadian parliament buildings. Charles Pachter created the painting The Queen on a Moose, which depicts exactly what the title describes and has become a Canadian cultural image,[16] as well as his subsequent piece showing the Queen's son, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, standing alongside a moose.[16] More formal and enduring are the sculptures of some of Canada's monarchs, such as Louis-Philippe Hébert's bronze statue of Queen Victoria that was in 1901 unveiled on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.[17] Jack Harmon of British Columbia created in 1992 the equestrian statue of Queen Elizabeth that also stands on Parliament Hill, and sculptor Susan Velder fashioned in June 2003 another such statue for the grounds of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building.
Clothing
In the role of the state personified, the monarch has worn clothing symbolic of the country. For instance, the gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II at both her coronation in London and the opening of the Canadian parliament in 1957 was decorated with the floral emblems of her realms, including maple leaves for Canada.[18] During the same 1957 visit to Ottawa, the Queen also wore to a banquet held at Rideau Hall the Maple-Leaf-of-Canada dress, which was intended to represent Elizabeth's distinct status as Queen of Canada; it was a pale green satin gown, edged with a garland consisting of deep green velvet maple leaves appliquéd with crysals and emeralds. Afterwards, the dress was donated to the Crown collection and is now held at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.[19]
Crown
The crown is a heraldic device that is prevalent across Canada, being incorporated into a multitude of other emblems and insignia. On the most basic level, the crown itself is a visual reminder of the monarchy, its central place as the fuse between all branches of government, and its embodiment of the continuity of the state.[14] It can be found on, amongst others, the Royal Cypher; the Royal Arms of Canada; some of the provincial and territorial coats of arms; the badges of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canadian Forces Military Police, the police services of Edmonton, Medicine Hat, Central Saanich, New Westminster, Winnipeg, Brockville, Durham Region, Greater Sudbury, Guelph, Halton Region, Hamilton, London, Niagara Region, Ottawa, Stratford, Thunder Bay, Timmins, Toronto, Waterloo Region, Regina, and Saskatoon, the police departments of Delta, Port Moody, Vancouver, West Vancouver, Fredericton, and York Region, as well as the Ontario Provincial Police, British Columbia Sheriff Services, and Royal Newfoundland Constabulary; and those of the Canadian Forces and Correctional Service of Canada. A crown may also be found atop signs in Ontario for the King's Highways and the Queen Elizabeth Way.
A crown is also present on various Canadian decorations and medals, as well as the insignia for all the country's orders, reflecting the monarch's place as the fount of honour.[20][21] The crown may exist on a medallion as a part of the Royal Cypher and/or on the sovereign's head in effigy, though it can also be placed atop the medal of badge of an order.
Typically, a St. Edward's Crown is employed, as directed by Queen Elizabeth II when she acceded to the throne,[22][23] replacing theTudor Crown as a representation of royal authority. However, in some cases, such as the heraldic badge of the West Vancouver Police Department, the older crown is still retained. The Sacrifice Medal shows on its obverse an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II wearing a unique diadem of maple leaves and snowflakes that does not exist in reality.[24] Such use of the crown is only by the personal permission of the sovereign, which is sought via the Office of the Governor General.[25]
Flags
Similar to coats of arms, flags are utilised to represent royal authority and specific royal and viceroyal offices. The standards of the kings of France were the first royal flags to be used in what is now Canada, a flag bearing the arms of King Louis XIV being used as the symbol of New France after the colony was in 1663 reformed as a royal province of France. The contemporary personal flag of the Canadian sovereign is a Heraldic banner that bears the shield of the monarch's Canadian arms defaced with the personal device of Queen Elizabeth II – a crowned E in a circle of roses – and is used by the Queen whenever in Canada or acting on behalf of the country abroad, the flag being flown from any building or transportation occupied by the monarch.[22] This flag was created in 1961 to replace the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom, which had been previously used by the Canadian monarch in Canada and overseas.
Second in precedence is the flag of the Governor General, which displays the crest of the Canadian royal arms – a crowned lion holding a maple leaf – and is used in a fashion akin to the sovereign's flag.[26] Each of the provincial viceroys also has a representative flag, most being a blue field on which is displayed the shield of the province's arms surmounted by a crown.
The Union Flag, before it was recognised as the national flag of the United Kingdom, was used in Canada as a representation of the British monarchs who reigned over British North America, and it came to be incorporated into Canadian symbols, such as the Canadian Red Ensign. When the country's present flag was adopted in 1965, the Union Flag was retained as an official flag of Canada and named the Royal Union Flag, intended as a marker of Canada's loyalty to the Crown and membership in the Commonwealth of Nations.[2] Both it and the standard of royal France have a prominent place in the monarch's Canadian coat of arms.
Verbal and musical symbols
Music and song are utilised in various ways as reminders and identifiers of the sovereign or viceroys. The tune "God Save the King" (or "God Save the Queen" in the reign of a female monarch) was heard in the Canadian colonies since the late 18th century and became the country's national anthem after Confederation in 1867. In 1980, "O Canada" was adopted as the national anthem and "God Save the Queen" became, by convention, the Royal Anthem,[27] for use as a musical salute to the sovereign in person or as a display of loyalty in any circumstance. It was also incorporated into the Canadian Royal Salute, which is used upon the arrival of the Governor General or a lieutenant governor, and consists of the first six bars of the Royal Anthem followed by the first and last four bars of "O Canada".[28]
At official functions, regardless of whether or not the monarch is personally present, the Loyal Toast may be recited; it consists of a toast to the health of the sovereign, and is generally led by the host of or guest of honour at a ceremony, aside from the monarch him or herself. In English, the toast is: "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Queen of Canada," and in French: "Mesdames et Messieurs, à la Reine du Canada." In the mess of regiments in which the monarch holds an honorary appointment, the toast is modified slightly to be read as: "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Queen of Canada, our Colonel-in-Chief," and in French: "Mesdames et Messieurs, à la Reine du Canada, notre colonel en chef." Where a band is present, the Royal Anthem is played following the performance of the Loyal Toast.[29]
The monarch also acts as the locus of fealty in the Oath of Allegiance, which forms a part of the Oath of Citizenship. This giving of allegiance to the sovereign has been described as the expression of "a solemn intention to adhere to the symbolic keystone of the Canadian Constitution as it has been and is, thus pledging an acceptance of the whole of our constitution and national life."[30]
The word royal itself is frequently used as a prefix to the name of an organization that has gained the monarch's favour or patronage. The granting of this distinction falls within the Royal Prerogative, and thus is conferred by the monarch through the office of her viceroy, with input from the Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion Programme within the Department of Canadian Heritage on whether or not the institution meets the criteria of having been in existence for at least 25 years,[31] being financially secure, and a non-profit organization, amongst others.[32] Any organization that has been so honoured may receive appropriate royal insignia when petitioning the Canadian Heraldic Authority for a grant of armorial bearings or other emblem. The term Crown corporation is also applied to conglomerations in which the sovereign, either in right of Canada or any of the provinces, is the sole shareholder.
Calendar dates
Certain dates are of royal significance in Canada. Victoria Day has been since 1834 a holiday to mark the birthday of Queen Victoria and later, after 1957, the official birthday of the reigning monarch.[33] At military sites, on navy vessels, and on government property, flags will also be flown to mark specific royal occasions, including Accession Day (6 February), the actual birthday of the monarch (presently 21 April), the official birthday of the monarch (24 May), and the birthday of the Royal Consort (10 June).[34]
Each year since 1932, the monarch has delivered the Royal Christmas Message to the British Commonwealth (later the Commonwealth of Nations); originally broadcast on the British Broadcasting Corporation Empire Service, it is today shown in Canada on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television and radio.
Geographic names
There are also hundreds of places named for Canadian monarchs and members of the Royal Family all across Canada. No individual has been more honoured than Queen Victoria in the names of Canada's public buildings, streets, populated places and physical features. The trend for naming places after the sovereign began after the Queen granted John Ross permission to name a small bay in the Northwest Passage after her. Following this, explorers and mapmakers gave the name Victoria to a multitude of geographical features all over the Canadian map; her name appears more than 300 times. Also, amongst the 280 postal divisions in Canada, more than half have at least one thoroughfare identified by the name Victoria.[35]
See also
References
- ^ "Heritage Saint John > Canadian Heraldry". Heritage Resources of Saint John and New Brunswick Community College. http://www.saintjohn.nbcc.nb.ca/~HeritageSaintJohn/CorporateSeal/heraldry.htm. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
- ^ a b Department of Canadian Heritage. "Citizenship and Identity > Symbols of Canada > The Royal Union Flag". Queen's Printer for Canada. http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/union-eng.cfm. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
- ^ a b Department of Canadian Heritage (2008), Canada: Symbols of Canada, Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, p. 3, http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/101/101-eng.pdf, retrieved 9 September 2009
- ^ MacLeod, Kevin S. (2008) (PDF), A Crown of Maples (1 ed.), Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, p. 50, ISBN 978-0-662-46012-1, http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/fr-rf/crnCdn/crn_mpls-eng.pdf, retrieved 21 June 2009
- ^ MacKinnon, Frank (1976). The Crown in Canada. Calgary: Glenbow-Alberta Institute. pp. 69. ISBN 978-0771210150.
- ^ MacLeod 2008, p. 61
- ^ a b c Willey, R.C., "Crafts > Coins and Tokens", in Marsh, James Harley, The Canadian Encyclopedia, Toronto: Historica Foundation of Canada, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0001743#SEC818487, retrieved 24 September 2009
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- ^ Library and Archives Canada. "Canadian Postal Archives Database > Queen Victoria". Queen's Printer for Canada. http://data4.collectionscanada.ca/netacgi/nph-brs?s1=0003&l=20&d=POST&p=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.collectionscanada.ca%2Farchivianet%2F020117%2F020117030101_e.html&r=1&f=G&SECT3=POST. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
- ^ Patrick, Douglas; Patrick, Mary (1964). Canada's Postage Stamps. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Ltd.. pp. 8-9.
- ^ Library and Archives Canada. "Canadian Postal Archives Database > Princess Elizabeth & Princess Margaret Rose". Queen's Printer for Canada. http://data4.collectionscanada.ca/netacgi/nph-brs?s1=0237&l=20&d=POST&p=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.collectionscanada.ca%2Farchivianet%2F020117%2F020117030109_e.html&r=1&f=G&SECT3=POST. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
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- ^ Public Works and Government Services Canada. "A Treasure to Explore > Parliament Hill > History of the Hill > Centre Block > Senate". Queen's Printer for Canada. http://www.collineduparlement-parliamenthill.gc.ca/histoire-history/centre/senat-senate-eng.html. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
- ^ a b Knelman, Martin (14 October 2009), "Charlie's royal moose is loose again", Toronto Star, http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/709758--knelman-charlie-s-royal-moose-is-loose-again, retrieved 14 October 2009
- ^ Public Works and Government Services Canada. "A Treasure to Explore > Parliament Hill > History of the Hill > Grounds > Statues". Queen's Printer for Canada. http://www.parliamenthill.gc.ca/histoire-history/terrains-grounds/statues-eng.html. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
- ^ Bousfield, Arthur; Toffoli, Gary (2002). Fifty Years the Queen. Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 16. ISBN 1-55002-360-8. http://books.google.ca/books?id=w8l5reK7NjoC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false.
- ^ Trepanier, Peter (2004). "Some Visual Aspects of the Monarchical Tradition". Canadian Parliamentary Review (Ottawa: Commonwealth Parliamentary Association) 27 (2): 28. http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/27/2/27n2_04e_trepanier.pdf. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
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- ^ Department of National Defence. "DH&R Home > Canadian Honours Chart > Sacrifice Medal (SM)". Queen's Printer for Canada. http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhr-ddhr/chc-tdh/chart-tableau-eng.asp?ref=SM. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ^ a b Department of Canadian Heritage 2008, p. 2
- ^ "An Armorial of Canada > The Royal Arms of Canada". Royal Heraldry Society of Canada. http://www.heraldry.ca/misc/coatArmsCanada.htm. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
- ^ Office of the Governor General of Canada. "Honours > Medals > Sacrifice Medal". Queen's Printer for Canada. http://www.gg.ca/honours/medals/hon04-sm_e.asp. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
- ^ Department of Canadian Heritage. "Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > The crown in Canada > The Royal Crown". Queen's Printer for Canada. http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/101/102-eng.cfm#a3. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
- ^ Office of the Governor General of Canada. "Heraldry > Emblems of Canada and of Government House > The Governor General's Flag". Queen's Printer for Canada. http://www.gg.ca/heraldry/emb/index_e.asp. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
- ^ Department of Canadian Heritage 2008, p. 4
- ^ Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan. "Lieutenant Governor > Royal Salute". Queen's Printer for Saskatchewan. http://www.ltgov.sk.ca/vice_regal_salute.htm. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
- ^ Department of National Defence (1 April 1999), The Honours, Flags and Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces, Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, pp. 449-450, A-AD-200-000/AG-000, http://www.saskd.ca/heritage.pdf, retrieved 30 October 2009
- ^ Aralt Mac Giolla Chainnigh v. the Attorney-General of Canada, T-1809-06 , 14.4 (Federal Court of Canada 21 January 2008).
- ^ Department of Canadian Heritage. "Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > Reinforcement of constitutional links with the institutions of the Canadian Monarchy". Queen's Printer for Canada. http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/actvt/105-eng.cfm. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
- ^ Department of Canadian Heritage. "Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > The Canadian Monarchy > Royal patronage and the prefix "Royal"". Queen's Printer for Canada. http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/fr-rf/criter-eng.cfm. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
- ^ Department of Canadian Heritage. "Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > Victoria Day > Sovereign's Birthday". Queen's Printer for Canada. http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/jfa-ha/victoria-eng.cfm. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
- ^ Department of National Defence 1999, p. 309
- ^ Rayburn, Alan, "Biography > Women Leaders > Victoria", in Marsh, James Harley, The Canadian Encyclopedia, Toronto: Historica Foundation of Canada, http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008358, retrieved 24 September 2009
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