Talk:Carroll Rosenbloom

Canadian heraldry refers to the cultural tradition and style of heraldic achievements—coats of arms—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 is officially governed by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, which reviews all applications for arms.

History

The Royal Arms of France.

The first coat of arms to be used in what is now Canada was the Royal Coat of Arms of France, raised by Jacques Cartier upon his landing on Canadian soil. 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.

Between 1763 and 1867 (the year of Canadian Confederation), there is little evidence of much heraldic activity. After Confederation, however, heraldry in Canada became more widespread, including grants of arms to the provinces, various educational institutions, municipalities, and individuals. 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). On 4 June 1988, the Queen issued Letters Patent creating the Canadian Heraldic Authority, responsible for oversight of heraldic usage within Canada.

Modern heraldry

Official

Main article: Canadian Heraldic Authority

On 4 June 1988, then-Governor General Jeanne Sauvé authorized the creation of the Canadian Heraldic Authority. This was made possible by Letters Patent, signed by the Queen on the advice of her Canadian Privy Council, and presented by Prince Edward, which authorized

"…the Governor General of Canada to exercise or provide for the exercise of all powers and authorities lawfully belonging to Us as Queen of Canada in respect of the granting of armorial bearings in Canada."

As a result Canada became the first Commonwealth realm outside the United Kingdom to have its own heraldic authority. Through the Trade-Marks Act (amended 1993), all armigers within Canada may file for trademark protection of their grant of arms.

State and national

Main article: Coat of arms of Canada

The Coat of Arms of Canada in 1957

The Coat of Arms of Canada (also known as the Royal Arms of Canada or, formally, the Arms of Her Majesty in Right of Canada) is, 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, with distinctive Canadian elements–the maple leaves; the reference to the French Royal Arms in the fourth quarter–replacing or added to those derived from the British.

The arms are used as a mark of authority by various government agencies and representatives, including the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Parliament and most courts, including the Supreme Court. It is also present on all denominations of Canadian paper currency (in fact, the way the Arms are printed on each bill is a security feature), and on the cover of Canadian passports. 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.

The flag of the Governor General

The personal flag of the Governor General has, since 1981, featured the crest of the Arms of Canada on a blue background.

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.

Provincial

Main article: List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols

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, each formally known as Her Majesty's Arms in Right Of [Name] (of the province or territory), e.g. Her Majesty's Arms in Right of Alberta. The year after Confederation, Queen Victoria issued Royal Warrants assigning arms to Canada's original four provinces: Québec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

Each provincial coat of arms includes specific local symbolism; most also include symbolism derived from the Royal Coats of Arms of the United Kingdom and/or of France. 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.

Apart from Newfoundland and Labrador, each province and territory bears at least some elements from its coat of arms upon its flag. The flags of British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island are banners of the provincial arms, while Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon each bear upon their flags the escutcheon (shield) of the local coat of arms, with other design elements. The flag of Nunavut 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, save for those of Nova Scotia (the Union Flag defaced with the Shield of Nova Scotia, surrounded by green maple leaves) and Quebec (the Shield on a white circle with the provincial motto inscribed below).

Municipal

The use of armorial bearings amongst Canadian cities is inconsistent, inasmuch as 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. 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.

Personal

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The ribbon (circlet) of the Order of Canada

In Canada, every citizen has the right to petition the Crown for a grant of arms. 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. Those who have been appointed to the Order as Companions (or have been raised to the rank of Companion) are entitled to supporters in their arms, as are the following:

• 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

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. The coat of arms of Nunavut, 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, while the arms of the Canadian Heraldic Authority include ravens, a First Nations symbol of creation and transformation.

Cadency

Main article: Cadency

In most systems of heraldry, each unique coat of arms is restricted to a single person. To differentiate identical arms, a system—cadency—was developed, possibly by John Writhe in 1500, which adds a mark known as a brisure to the plain coat of arms.

Most nations have cadences defined (either officially or through convention) only for male children who inherit otherwise identical arms. Canada is unique in having a series of cadences for use by female children who inherit arms. As in other heraldic systems, these cadency marks are not always used.

Brisures

	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

As with marks of cadency in other systems, 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.

United Empire Loyalists

Those who are descended from the United Empire Loyalists (citizens loyal to the British Crown who fled the nascent United States of America during and shortly after the revolution) are entitled to the use of special coronets within their arms, if arms are granted to them. 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. Proof of Loyalist heritage must be provided to the Canadian Heraldic Authority before permission is granted to use the coronet in arms.

Obtaining arms

Main article: Grant Process

All citizens of Canada, as well as corporate bodies, may petition the Crown for an award of arms. 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 (if it is approved), 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 (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, artwork, etc.; the fees are not to 'purchase' the grant of arms. For corporations and institutions the process is similar.

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) than application for a new award of arms (approximately twelve to fourteen months).

See also

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

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