Canada

Canada, the second-largest country in the world, has a history shaped by Indigenous peoples, French and British colonization, and the gradual development of a self-governing federation. The Dominion of Canada was established in 1867 through Confederation, and the country progressively gained legislative and constitutional independence from Britain, culminating in the patriation of its constitution in 1982.

Canada has produced a rich and highly regarded range of postage stamps since issuing its first stamps in 1851. Early issues featured Queen Victoria and distinctive Canadian symbols, while later stamps celebrated Indigenous cultures, explorers, wildlife, landscapes, historical figures, transportation, and national achievements. Canadian stamps are particularly admired for their high-quality engraving and striking depictions of the country's vast natural heritage.

The country uses the Canadian dollar, introduced in the 19th century and retained through Canada's transition from colony to independent nation. Its philatelic history provides a fascinating record of Canada's development from British and French colonial territories into a distinctive, bilingual and multicultural country.

1967 - Canada 15 Cents - Bylot Island

First issued: 08 Feb 196715 Canadian CentsCentennial Definitives 1967-73 SeriesCanadian Bank Note Company; Art by Lawren Stewart Harris, Engraved by Gordon Mash & Yves BarilSG: CA 586 Colnect Link
The stamp reproduces Lawren Stewart Harris’s Bylot Island, depicting the stark Arctic landscape of Bylot Island in Nunavut, with its mountains, glaciers and coastal waters. Harris was a leading member of the Group of Seven, whose painters sought to develop a distinctly Canadian landscape tradition by portraying the country’s wilderness rather than relying on European artistic subjects. The Arctic became an especially important part of Harris’s work, and his northern paintings helped establish the Canadian North as a major subject in the country’s visual culture.Issued in 1967 as part of Canada's Centennial Definitives, the stamp formed part of the country's extensive philatelic celebration of the centenary of Confederation. Its choice of Harris's northern landscape is particularly appropriate to the period, when Canadian national identity was increasingly being expressed through the country's distinctive geography and its own artistic traditions.

1967 - Canada 20 Cents - The Ferry, Quebec

First issued: 08 Feb 196720 Canadian CentsCentennial Definitives 1967-73 SeriesCanadian Bank Note Company; Artwork by James Wilson Morrice; Engraved by Gordon Mash & Yves BarilSG: CA 587 Colnect Link
The stamp reproduces James Wilson Morrice’s The Ferry, Quebec, a painting depicting a winter crossing of the St. Lawrence River near Quebec. Morrice (1865–1924) was one of the important early Canadian modernist painters, and although he spent much of his career in Europe, Quebec remained a recurring subject in his work. The painting captures an aspect of everyday life in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Quebec, when the frozen river and seasonal ice crossings were an important part of movement between communities.Issued for Canada’s centennial in 1967, the stamp formed part of the high-value definitives that featured works by prominent Canadian artists. Alongside works by A. Y. Jackson, Tom Thomson, Lawren Harris and J. E. H. MacDonald, Morrice’s painting represented Quebec within a series intended to present different regions and aspects of Canada through its landscape and artistic heritage.

1967 - Canada 50 Cents - Summer's Store (Grain Elevators)

First issued: 08 Feb 196750 Canadian CentsCentennial Definitives 1967-73 SeriesCanadian Bank Note Company; Artwork by James Ensor; Engraved by Gordon Mash & Yves BarilSG: CA 589 Colnect Link
The stamp reproduces Summer’s Store, a 1941 painting by John Ensor depicting a rural Canadian grain elevator complex. Grain elevators were an essential part of Canada’s agricultural infrastructure, particularly across the Prairie provinces, where they served as collection and transfer points for wheat and other grains before shipment by rail to domestic and export markets. The distinctive elevator became closely associated with the settlement pattern and economic life of the Canadian Prairies.Ensor was a British-born artist who emigrated to Canada in 1947 and became associated with Canadian painting and industrial design. His Summer’s Store was among the works selected for the 1967 Centennial issue.

1967 - Canada 1 Dollar - Edmonton Oil Field

First issued: 08 Feb 19671 Canadian DollarCentennial Definitives 1967-73 SeriesCanadian Bank Note Company; Artwork by HG Glyde; Engraved by Gordon Mash & Yves BarilSG: CA 590 Colnect Link
The stamp depicts an oil field near Edmonton, Alberta, based on H. G. Glyde’s work Imperial Wildcat No. 3, Excelsior Field, near Edmonton. It represents the development of Alberta’s petroleum industry, which was transformed by the discovery of major commercial oil deposits in the Edmonton region during the early twentieth century. The scene of derricks, wells and the surrounding landscape reflects an industry that was becoming increasingly important to Canada’s economy and to the growth of Alberta’s cities and infrastructure.Issued as part of the 1967 Centennial high-value definitives, the stamp complemented the series’ landscapes and regional subjects by representing one of the major industries associated with modern Canada.

1969 - Canada 5 Cents - Children of the World in Prayer

First issued: 08 Oct 19695 Canadian CentsChristmas 1969 SeriesCanadian Bank Note Company; Designed by Rapid Grip & Batten Ltd. SG: CA 644 Colnect Link
Issued for Christmas in 1969, this stamp depicts children of different backgrounds in prayer, representing the universal nature of childhood and the Christian message of prayer and peace associated with the Christmas season. The issue appeared during a period when Canadian Christmas stamps increasingly used contemporary imagery rather than traditional religious symbols such as the Nativity. The depiction of children from different cultural backgrounds was particularly suited to Canada’s increasingly multicultural society and to the wider international emphasis on peace and understanding during the late 1960s.

1969 - Canada 6 Cents - Stephen Leacock

First issued: 12 Nov 19696 Canadian CentsChristmas 1969 SeriesBritish American Bank Note Company; Designed by George Sarras Fanais, Engraved by George A. Gundersen Michel: CA 446Do Colnect Link
Issued in 1969 to mark the centenary of Stephen Leacock’s birth, this stamp commemorates one of Canada’s best-known writers and humourists. Leacock (1869–1944) was also an economist and professor at McGill University, but his lasting reputation rests largely on his humorous writing about Canadian society. The stamp pairs his portrait with a depiction of Mariposa, the fictional Ontario town in his most famous work, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, first published in 1912.Through its stories and characters, Sunshine Sketches affectionately satirized local politics, business, religion and social life, while capturing the aspirations and contradictions of early twentieth-century Canadian communities.

1972 - Canada 20 Cents - Prairie Landscape

First issued: 08 Sep 197220 Canadian CentsLandscape Definitive Series 1972-77British American Bank Note Company; Designed by Reinhard DerrethSG: CA 704 Colnect Link
The stamp presents an aerial view of the Canadian Prairies, showing the geometric pattern of cultivated fields that gives the landscape its distinctive character. The aerial viewpoint is significant because it reveals the Prairies not simply as open grassland but as a landscape profoundly reshaped by agriculture. By the 1970s, prairie grain production had become an important part of Canada's domestic economy and its international trade, with Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba forming the country's agricultural heartland. The stamp was designed by Reinhard Derreth from a photograph by Chris Lund, and its abstracted treatment of the fields gives the subject a distinctly modern appearance.

1972 - Canada 50 Cents - Seashore

First issued: 08 Sep 197250 Canadian CentsLandscape Definitive Series 1972-77British American Bank Note Company; Designed by Reinhard DerrethSG: CA 706 Colnect Link
The stamp depicts a rugged Canadian seashore, with steep coastal cliffs, exposed rock and waves breaking along the shoreline. The design was created by Vancouver-based artist Reinhard Derreth from a photograph by Fred Ruggles.The issue reflected a growing use of Canadian landscape imagery in postage stamps to portray the country through its distinctive geography. In the accompanying Post Office description, the coastline was presented as one of the defining elements of Canada's vast terrain, particularly its rocky and exposed shores where continual wave action has shaped the cliffs.

1973 - Canada 1 Dollar - Vancouver

First issued: 23 Oct 19731 Canadian DollarLandscape Definitive Series 1972-77British American Bank Note Company; Designed by Reinhard DerrethSG: CA 709 Colnect Link
The stamp depicts Vancouver’s harbour and skyline, with the city’s high-rise development set against the mountains of the North Shore. Vancouver’s rapid transformation from a small nineteenth-century settlement into a major Pacific port and metropolitan centre is reflected in the prominence of its modern skyline. Its position on Burrard Inlet and its connection with the Canadian Pacific Railway had been fundamental to the city’s growth, establishing Vancouver as an important gateway for trade across the Pacific.The $1 Vancouver stamp formed one of the high-value issues of Canada’s Landscape Definitives, which used both natural scenery and major urban centres to portray the changing character of the country.

1973 - Canada 2 Cents - Sir Wilfrid Laurier

First issued: 17 Oct 19732 Canadian CentsCaricature Definitive Series 1973-76Canadian Bank Note Company; Designed by David Annesley & Ken RodmellSG: CA 694 Colnect Link
The stamp depicts Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Canada's 7th Prime Minister, serving from 1896 to 1911 - and the first French Canadian to hold this office. This was a period of rapid economic growth, large scale immigration and settlement of the Canadian West. Under Laurier, Canada built an extensive railway network which encouraged immigration into the Prairies. As PM, Laurier also oversaw the creation of the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905.Laurier is also known for his efforts to balance the English and French speaking communities in Canada and for his efforts in asserting a greater degree of autonomy for Canada within the British Empire. This series is also notable for the manner in which it represents historical figures with informal, simplified, sketched and almost caricature representations.

1973 - Canada 3 Cents - Sir Robert Borden

First issued: 17 Oct 19733 Canadian CentsCaricature Definitive Series 1973-76Canadian Bank Note Company; Designed by David Annesley & Ken RodmellSG: CA 695 Colnect Link
The stamp depicts Sir Robert Borden who served as Canada's 8th Prime Minister from 1911 to 1920 - a term that was dominated by World War One. Under Borden, Canada made an increasingly independent contribution to the allied war effort with more than 600,000 canadian soldiers serving overseas. His administration introduced conscription in 1917 while pushing for Canada to have a separate voice in how the war was conducted and concluded.Borden's efforts resulted in Canada receiving greater autonomy within the British Empire, with Borden representing Canada as a separate country in the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. Under Borden, Canada signed the Treaty of Versailles as a country in its own right and subsequently became a member of the League of Nations.

1976 - Canada 10 Cents - Queen Elizabeth II

First issued: 01 Sep 197610 Canadian CentsCaricature Definitive Series 1973-76British American Bank Note Company; Designed by David Annesley & Ken RodmellSG: CA 701 Colnect Link
This 10-cent definitive features Queen Elizabeth II in a simplified portrait used for Canada’s Caricature Definitives of the 1970s. Unlike the more formal royal portraits traditionally used on Canadian stamps, the series presented its subjects through deliberately informal, economical line drawings, giving the Queen’s portrait a distinctly contemporary character.The issue belongs to the later phase of Elizabeth II’s Canadian definitive stamps, when postal designs increasingly experimented with simplified graphic treatments of familiar national and royal subjects. The restrained portrait, without elaborate royal symbolism or ceremonial setting, is characteristic of the series’ approach to portraying prominent figures in a more accessible format.

1970 - Canada 6 Cents - Henry Kelsey 300th Birth Anniversary

First issued: 15 Apr 19706 Canadian CentsBritish American Bank Note Company; Designed by Dennis EN Burton, Engraved by George A. Gundersen SG: CA 654 Colnect Link
Issued to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Henry Kelsey’s birth, this stamp honours the English explorer and fur trader who became one of the earliest Europeans to travel extensively into the interior of what is now Canada. Working for the Hudson’s Bay Company, Kelsey undertook an expedition in 1690–1692 from Hudson Bay into the western interior, travelling through the region of present-day Manitoba and Saskatchewan. His journey brought him into contact with Plains Indigenous peoples and provided the Hudson’s Bay Company with valuable information about the interior and its potential for fur trade.Kelsey’s expedition is particularly significant in the history of European exploration of the Canadian Prairies. His surviving journal and map provide some of the earliest European descriptions of the landscape, wildlife and Indigenous communities of the region.

1974 - Canada 15 Cents - Mercury with Winged Horses

First issued: 09 Oct 197415 Canadian CentsUPU Centenary SeriesBritish American Bank Note Company; Designed by George A. Gundersen SG: CA 791 Colnect Link
Issued to mark the centenary of the Universal Postal Union in 1974, this stamp combines Mercury, the Roman messenger god, with two winged horses and the official UPU emblem. Mercury was an established symbol of communication, travel and the rapid movement of messages. The UPU emblem, derived from a monument created by French sculptor René de Saint-Marceaux, represents the globe surrounded by five human figures passing letters from one to another.The Universal Postal Union was established in 1874 as the General Postal Union, creating a common framework for international mail and simplifying the exchange of correspondence between countries. It adopted its present name in 1878, the same year Canada became a member.

1974 - Canada 15 Cents - Nativity by Franz Mayer

First issued: 03 Nov 197615 Canadian CentsChristmas 1976 (Stained Glass) SeriesAshton-Potter (canada) Ltd., Designed by Bernard NJ ReilanderSG: CA 848 Colnect Link
The stamp reproduces a section of the Nativity stained-glass window at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto. The window was made in 1912 by Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich, one of the major European firms responsible for ecclesiastical stained glass in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The scene presents the Nativity within the architectural and figurative language of traditional church glass.St. Michael’s Cathedral, completed in 1848, was the principal Roman Catholic cathedral of Toronto and an important centre of Catholic life in the city. The stamp was one of three Canadian Christmas stamps that year, all featuring Nativity scenes drawn from stained-glass windows in Canadian churches.

1974 - Canada 20 Cents - Nativity by Yvonne Williams

First issued: 03 Nov 197620 Canadian CentsChristmas 1976 (Stained Glass) SeriesAshton-Potter (canada) Ltd., Designed by Bernard NJ ReilanderSG: CA 850 Colnect Link
The stamp reproduces Nativity, a stained-glass rondel created in 1940 by Canadian artist Yvonne Williams. Williams was one of Canada’s leading stained-glass artists of the twentieth century, and her work combined the traditions of ecclesiastical stained glass with a distinctly modern Canadian approach.The original Nativity remained in Williams’s possession and was later held in the Canadian Postal Museum collection. Its selection for the 1976 Christmas issue was part of Canada Post’s presentation of Canadian stained-glass art as an important part of the country’s religious and artistic heritage.

1977 - Canada 12 Cents - Houses of Parliament - Blue

First issued: 03 May 197712 Canadian CentsDefinitives 1977-83 SeriesBritish American Bank Note Company; Designed by Reinhard Derreth, Engraved by Yves BarilSG: CA 872 Colnect Link
The stamp depicts Canada’s Parliament Buildings on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, dominated by the Peace Tower and the Gothic Revival architecture of the Centre Block. The complex was constructed in the nineteenth century as the seat of the federal government, with the Centre Block completed in 1866, just before Confederation. Its location overlooking the Ottawa River made Parliament Hill both the political centre of the new Dominion and one of the most recognisable landmarks of the Canadian capital.The Peace Tower, completed in 1927, replaced the original Victoria Tower and became a national memorial to Canadians who served and died in the First World War. By the time this definitive was issued in 1977, the Parliament Buildings had long served as one of the principal symbols of Canadian government and national identity.

1979 - Canada 17 Cents - Houses of Parliament - Green

First issued: 03 May 197717 Canadian CentsDefinitives 1977-83 SeriesBritish American Bank Note Company; Designed by Reinhard Derreth, Engraved by Yves BarilSG: CA 874 Colnect Link
The stamp depicts Canada’s Parliament Buildings on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, dominated by the Peace Tower and the Gothic Revival architecture of the Centre Block. The complex was constructed in the nineteenth century as the seat of the federal government, with the Centre Block completed in 1866, just before Confederation. Its location overlooking the Ottawa River made Parliament Hill both the political centre of the new Dominion and one of the most recognisable landmarks of the Canadian capital.The Peace Tower, completed in 1927, replaced the original Victoria Tower and became a national memorial to Canadians who served and died in the First World War. By the time this definitive was issued in 1977, the Parliament Buildings had long served as one of the principal symbols of Canadian government and national identity.

1977 - Canada 1 Cent - Bottle Gentian

First issued: 22 Apr 19771 Canadian CentFlower Definitives 1977-79 SeriesCanadian Bank Note Company; Designed by Heather J Cooper, Engraved by Yves BarilSG: CA 856 Colnect Link
The stamp features the bottle gentian (Gentiana andrewsii), a perennial wildflower native to eastern and central North America, including parts of Canada. Its distinctive blue flowers remain largely closed even when fully mature, forming the bottle-like shape from which the common name is derived. The tightly closed corolla is an adaptation associated with pollination by bumblebees, which are strong enough to push their way between the petals to reach the nectar and pollen.Issued as part of Canada’s 1977–79 Flowers definitives, the stamp belongs to a series that highlighted native Canadian flora. The bottle gentian is characteristic of moist meadows, woodland margins and open habitats, and its inclusion helped draw attention to the diversity of Canada’s indigenous flowering plants. The detailed botanical treatment also reflects the longstanding use of floral subjects in Canadian definitive stamps.

1977 - Canada 2 Cents - Red Columbine

First issued: 22 Apr 19772 Canadian CentsFlower Definitives 1977-79 SeriesCanadian Bank Note Company; Designed by Heather J Cooper, Engraved by Yves BarilSG: CA 857 Colnect Link
The stamp features the red columbine (Aquilegia formosa), a striking wildflower native to western North America, including British Columbia and parts of western Canada. Its distinctive red and yellow flowers hang from slender stems, with elongated nectar-bearing spurs extending behind the petals. The species grows in a variety of habitats, including open woodland, mountain slopes and moist rocky areas, and is an important native plant of western Canadian landscapes.The red columbine is particularly characteristic of the Pacific and mountain regions of western Canada, where its vivid flowers appear in forests, meadows and alpine environments.

1977 - Canada 3 Cents - Canada Lily

First issued: 22 Apr 19773 Canadian CentsFlower Definitives 1977-79 SeriesCanadian Bank Note Company; Designed by Heather J Cooper, Engraved by Yves BarilSG: CA 858 Colnect Link
The stamp features the Canada lily (Lilium canadense), a native North American species found principally in eastern and central Canada and the United States. Its nodding, star-shaped flowers range from yellow to orange-red and are marked with distinctive dark spots. It grows in moist meadows, woodland margins and along stream banks, flowering during the summer months.

1977 - Canada 4 Cents - Hepatica

First issued: 22 Apr 19774 Canadian CentsFlower Definitives 1977-79 SeriesCanadian Bank Note Company; Designed by Heather J Cooper, Engraved by Yves BarilSG: CA 859 Colnect Link
The stamp features the hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba), also known as sharp-lobed hepatica, a small woodland wildflower native to eastern North America, including parts of southern Ontario and Quebec.The hepatica belongs to the characteristic flora of Canada’s deciduous forests and has long been associated with the arrival of spring in eastern woodland habitats. Its early flowering allows it to take advantage of sunlight reaching the forest floor before the canopy closes.

1977 - Canada 5 Cents - Shooting Star

First issued: 22 Apr 19775 Canadian CentsFlower Definitives 1977-79 SeriesCanadian Bank Note Company; Designed by Heather J Cooper, Engraved by Yves BarilSG: CA 860 Colnect Link
The stamp features the shooting star (Dodecatheon hendersonii), a delicate perennial wildflower native to western North America, including British Columbia. It grows in open woodland, meadows and rocky habitats, producing nodding flowers whose swept-back petals give the plant its distinctive appearance. Dodecatheon hendersonii is especially representative of the Pacific coastal flora, complementing the eastern and central Canadian species featured elsewhere in the series.

1977 - Canada 10 Cents - Franklin's Lady's Slipper Orchid

First issued: 22 Apr 197710 Canadian CentsFlower Definitives 1977-79 SeriesCanadian Bank Note Company; Designed by Heather J Cooper, Engraved by Yves BarilSG: CA 861 Colnect Link
The stamp features Franklin’s lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium passerinum), also known as the sparrow’s-egg lady’s-slipper, a native orchid with a remarkably broad Canadian range extending from Quebec westward to the Yukon and into the northern territories. It is one of the few Canadian orchids found beyond the Arctic Circle.

1977 - Canada 15 Cents - Trembling Aspen

First issued: 08 Aug 197715 Canadian CentsLeaves Definitives 1977-79 SeriesBritish American Bank Note Company; Designed by Heather J Cooper, Engraved by Yves BarilSG: CA 875 Colnect Link
The trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) is one of Canada’s most widespread native trees, occurring across much of the country from the Atlantic provinces through the boreal forest and western parklands to British Columbia and the northern territories. Its distinctive leaves are borne on flattened stalks that cause them to flutter or “tremble” even in light winds, giving the species its familiar name.

1977 - Canada 20 Cents - Douglas Fir

First issued: 08 Aug 197720 Canadian CentsLeaves Definitives 1977-79 SeriesBritish American Bank Note Company; Designed by Heather J Cooper, Engraved by Yves BarilSG: CA 876 Colnect Link
The Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is one of the great coniferous trees of western North America and an important component of the forests of British Columbia. It can reach exceptional size and age, with some trees growing for many centuries. The species is particularly recognisable by its soft, flat needles and distinctive hanging cones, whose three-pointed bracts project between the cone scales. Douglas fir has long been important to the forestry and timber industries of western Canada, providing strong, durable wood for construction, shipbuilding and other uses.

1977 - Canada 25 Cents - Sugar Maple

First issued: 08 Aug 197725 Canadian CentsLeaves Definitives 1977-79 SeriesBritish American Bank Note Company; Designed by Heather J Cooper, Engraved by Yves BarilSG: CA 877 Colnect Link
The sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is one of the defining trees of eastern Canada, particularly associated with the forests of Ontario and Quebec. It is best known for the brilliant colours its leaves develop in autumn, ranging from yellow and orange to deep red. The species has also played an important economic and cultural role: its sap is the principal source of maple syrup, an industry particularly associated with Quebec and eastern Ontario. Sugar maple is a long-lived hardwood and an important component of the mixed deciduous forests of southeastern Canada.The maple leaf had already become a national emblem through its use on Canada’s flag since 1965.

1977 - Canada 25 Cents - Chirst Child & Chiefs

First issued: 26 Oct 197725 Canadian CentsChristmas 1977 SeriesCanadian Bank Note Company; Designed by RG WhiteSG: CA 897 Colnect Link
The stamp depicts the Christ Child surrounded by Indigenous chiefs and is based on an illustration associated with “Jesous Ahatonhia,” the Christmas hymn traditionally attributed to the French Jesuit missionary Jean de Brébeuf in the 17th century. Brebeuf had worked extnsively amongst the Huron-Wendat, a Native American tribe living in the Great Lakes Region of Canada. Written in the Huron language, Jesous Ahatonhia—usually translated as “Jesus is Born”—is regarded as one of the earliest Canadian Christmas carols.

1978 - Canada 50 Cents - Prairie Town Main Street

First issued: 06 Jul 197850 Canadian CentsCity Street Definitives (1978-82) SeriesBritish American Bank Note Company; Designed by Tom Bjarnason, Engraved by Arthur PontingSG: CA 880 Colnect Link
The stamp depicts the main street of Austin, Manitoba, a small Prairie community whose streetscape represents the characteristic form of the early agricultural towns that developed across the Canadian Prairies. These settlements grew alongside the expansion of farming and the railway network in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with a commercial main street serving as the centre of local trade and community life. Issued as part of Canada’s 1978–82 City Streets definitives, the stamp documents a distinctly rural-urban landscape. The original designation was simply “Prairie Town Main Street”; the location was subsequently identified by collectors as Austin.

1978 - Canada 75 Cents - Old Houses

First issued: 06 Jul 197875 Canadian CentsCity Street Definitives (1978-82) SeriesBritish American Bank Note Company; Designed by Tom BjarnasonSG: CA 881 Colnect Link
The 75-cent “Old Houses” stamp depicts a row of traditional urban houses characteristic of the older neighbourhoods of Montreal, Quebec, where closely spaced brick or stone residences developed along narrow streets during the city’s 19th- and early-20th-century expansion. Such districts became an important part of Montreal’s architectural heritage as the city modernised around them.

1978 - Canada 14 Cents - Canadian National Exhibition Centenary

First issued: 16 Aug 197814 Canadian CentsAshton-Potter (Canada) Ltd., Designed by Theo DimsonSG: CA 922 Colnect Link
The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) traces its origins to agricultural exhibitions held in Ontario in the 19th century and became a permanent annual event in Toronto in the late 1870s. By the time of its centenary in 1978, the exhibition had grown far beyond its agricultural beginnings into a major national showcase for Canadian agriculture, industry, technology, commerce and entertainment.The 14-cent commemorative stamp marks the centenary of the Canadian National Exhibition, 1878–1978, using a highly simplified rendering of the Princes’ Gates, the monumental entrance to the exhibition grounds.

1979 - Canada 1 Dollar - Bay at Fundy National Park

First issued: 24 Jan 19791 Canadian DollarNational Park Definitives (1979-86) SeriesCanadian Bank Note Company, Designed by Ron Bolt, Engraved by Yves BarilSG: CA 884 Colnect Link
Fundy National Park is characterised by forested plateaus, steep river valleys and a rugged coast shaped by the extraordinary tides of the Bay of Fundy. The tides rise and fall twice each day, exposing extensive stretches of shoreline and creating sharply changing habitats between land and sea. The $1 stamp was the first of Canada’s new series of high-value definitive stamps devoted to national parks. Its almost abstract treatment of the landscape concentrates on the power and movement of the Fundy tides, with bands of water sweeping across the scene.

1979 - Canada 17 Cents - Queen Elizabeth II

First issued: 08 Mar 197917 Canadian CentsDefinitives (1977-83) SeriesBritish American Bank Note Company, Designed by Heather J Cooper & Jaroslav HutaSG: CA 869 Colnect Link
The 17-cent definitive features the crowned profile of Queen Elizabeth II in a sculptural treatment. The portrait derives from the work of Canadian sculptor Emanuel Hahn, whose portrait of the Queen was adapted for Canadian postal issues. This stamp belongs to a period when Canadian postal design was experimenting with simplified treatments of the royal portrait while retaining the Queen as the central figure of the definitive issues. The restrained green, black and grey palette places emphasis on the relief-like profile, while the profile itself follows the long tradition of depicting monarchs on coins, medals and postage stamps in a formal side view.

1979 - Canada 17 Cents - Inuit Drum Dance

First issued: 13 Sep 197917 Canadian CentsCanadian Inuit 3rd SeriesAshton Potter (Canada) Ltd., Designed by Reinhard DerrethSG: CA 961 Colnect Link
Inuit drum dancing is a traditional form of communal music and dance found across the Canadian Arctic, with regional variations among Inuit communities. The figures on the stamp are represented as soapstone sculptures, linking two important forms of Inuit cultural expression: the performance tradition of drum dancing and the long-established practice of carving figures from locally available stone.The 17-cent stamp was issued in 1979 as part of Canada’s third series of Canadian Inuit stamps, a programme that brought Inuit art and cultural traditions to a wider audience through postal imagery. The use of Inuit sculpture as the subject reflects the growing international recognition of Inuit art during the mid-20th century, when carvings from Arctic communities became an important part of Canada’s artistic and cultural heritage.

1979 - Canada 17 Cents - Inuit Summer Tent

First issued: 13 Sep 197917 Canadian CentsCanadian Inuit 3rd SeriesAshton Potter (Canada) Ltd., Orig. Ary by Kiakshuk, Designed by Reinhard DerrethSG: CA 958 Colnect Link
Kiakshuk’s Summer Tent, a 1960 stonecut print, depicts a traditional Inuit summer dwelling and the people gathered around it. During summer, tents made from animal skins stretched over frames of bones or driftwood provided lightweight shelters that could be erected and dismantled as families moved between hunting and fishing areas. Kiakshuk was one of the early artists associated with Cape Dorset, where printmaking became an important means of preserving and communicating Inuit traditions from the late 1950s onward. His Summer Tent was held by the National Gallery of Canada and was reproduced on this stamp in 1979 as part of the Inuit—Shelter and Community issue.

1979 - Canada 17 Cents - Inuit Dance

First issued: 13 Sep 197917 Canadian CentsCanadian Inuit 3rd SeriesAshton Potter (Canada) Ltd., Orig. Art by Kiawak Ashoona, Designed by Reinhard DerrethSG: CA 960 Colnect Link
The Dance is a print by the Inuit artist Kiawak Ashoona, known by the name Kalvak. The scene depicts Inuit dancers participating in a communal performance, accompanied by a musician playing a drum. The print belongs to the development of Inuit graphic art that followed the establishment of printmaking workshops in the Canadian Arctic during the mid-20th century. Kalvak was one of the artists whose drawings and prints helped preserve visual records of Inuit traditions at a time of rapid social and economic change.

1979 - Canada 17 Cents - Curtiss HS-2L

First issued: 15 Nov 197917 Canadian CentsCanadian Aircraft 1st SeriesAshton Potter (Canada) Ltd., Designe by Jacques Charette & RW BradfordSG: CA 967 Colnect Link
The Curtiss HS-2L was an American-designed flying boat that played an important role in early Canadian aviation. Developed during the First World War for anti-submarine patrol and reconnaissance, the aircraft was a large, wooden-hulled biplane capable of taking off and landing on water. Canada became a major operator of the type, using it for coastal patrols and training. After the war, surplus HS-2Ls found a new role in civilian aviation, particularly in remote regions where lakes and waterways offered practical alternatives to roads and prepared airfields.This 1979 stamp commemorates that pioneering phase of Canadian flight, when seaplanes helped lay the foundations for the country’s later bush-flying and remote-area transport networks.

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