When did the loon become a Canadian symbol?

Answer 1

Ok funny story this. The Loon is a recent symbol of Canada. The loon is a symbol because a crown corporation lost the original dies to our dollar coin. The Loon has grown in popularity as more and more Canadians moved to the cities from rural and remote areas. Loons do not like dirty city lakes and as a result were only seen by urban Canadians when they visited the cottage or while camping. The haunting call of the loon became connected with the wilds of Canada, with our vast wilderness rarely seen but loved by most Canadians.

Which is why in many ways it was always the better choice for our dollar coin. The official or first choice was yet another image of the voyagers. Those images are very much a political statement by just one Canadian culture and do not represent anything but a small part of Canada. In some parts of Canada they actual have negative connotations.

The Loon on the other hand has few political connotations and connects all Canadians with their love of the wilderness. A wilderness they rarely get to visit but none the less always know it is there.

When the dies for the new dollar coin with the Voyagers symbol "disappeared" in Western Canada the second choice the Loon became the final, and best choice.

It was that choice that put the image of the Loon into the hands of all Canadians and made it above many other great birds an unofficial National symbol of Canada.

Why_is_the_loon_a_national_symbol_of_Canada

Answer 2

it's on Canada's dollar coin, and its found in many lakes in Canada. the loon's low musical cry has a very special effect on Canadians, as many Canadians go camping or live in a cottage in the summertime, where they can hear the loon singing and communicating. The loon on Canada's dollar coin, is one of the first countries that replaced the bill with a coin.

Answer 3

A loon is on the canadian loonie.

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Because it is a great bird that covers a large area, needs a large area to live, avoids crowds and is so modest it calls itself common.

Another way is how it got selected to be on the Dollar Coin. The first choice was an image celebrating French history. When the bureaucrats (who you know got their job due to language laws) responsible for handling the dies "lost" them a new image was needed. So they selected the Provincial Bird of Ontario.

That is so Canadian. Ontario and Quebec believe they are Canada. They have many justifications they use, they have the most population, they were the Colony called Canada, they know what is best for everyone and of course they are the "real" Canada, the only "real" Canadians.

They so believe all that that it never occurs naturally to them that Canada is a Confederation of many Nations with 10 other provinces and 3 territories who should be allowed to have a say, maybe even do something Ontario and Quebec doesn't like. It certainly never occurred to them to use anything other than an image selected, approved and pleasing to those who consider themselves Canada.

The Loon is a perfect representation, not so much because it is a great bird bird but because it, Ontario's bird, got put on our money by "real" Canadians and all the rest of us make fun of it by calling it loonie.