Portal:Canada/Symbols

Canada's most well known symbol is the maple leaf from the sugar maple, which was first used by French colonists in the 1700s. 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 the Canadian Armed Forces. The maple leaf is prominently depicted on the country's current and previous flags and on the country's coat of arms. 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 the spring, gold in the early autumn, red at the first frost, and brown after falling.

Prominent symbols include the national motto, "A mari usque ad mare" ("From Sea to Sea"), the sports of ice hockey and lacrosse, the beaver, Canada goose, common loon, Canadian horse, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Rockies, and, more recently, the canadianization of Indigenous totem poles and Inuksuks (piles of stones). Other symbols include; the moose, Hudson's Bay point blanket, tuques (knit cap), canoes, the Fleur-de-lys, Canadarm(s), and the Order of Canada that features a snowflake, the Royal Crown, a maple leaf and the national colours of Canada.

Canadians identify with the country's institutions of health care, military peacekeeping, the national park system, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Canadian cuisine such as Canadian beer, caesar (cocktail), maple syrup, nanaimo bars, butter tarts, and the Quebec dishes of poutine and tourtière have been defined as distinctly Canadian. (Full article...)

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