Calling ccg...

[Ætheling]

That avatar of yours...

 

 

I know Canada is a country that has French and British influence, but don't you think including the fleur de lis in the shield is a bit of an anomaly?

 

The British monarchy relinquished all claims to any particular French territory in 1801 and that's the year the French Royal arms were dropped from the Royal Standard. Considering the last piece of mainland French soil we own was Calais and we lost that in 1558, it was probably about time they did something about the somewhat out of date Royal Arms. (Although we still rule Jersey and Guernsey so we haven't lost everything French).

 

Whioch makes me wonder why they included them on the Canadian coinage. Now you might be inclined to argue it from the French side and say they merely represent the French heritage of Canada, but if so why did they pick the Fleur de Lis? Because in France they'd been replaced even earlier during the French Revolution when the tricolour was introduced.

 

 

I hadn't noticed until now. Very odd. But intriguing.

[ccg]

Here's some stuff I clipped from CBC:

 

The Canadian Coat of Arms

 

The Shield

At the centre of the Canadian Coat of Arms is a shield divided into five sections, four of which represent the founding (European) peoples of what officially became the Dominion of Canada while the fifth is distinctly Canadian. England is represented by three Royal Lions, Scotland by a single Royal Lion, Ireland by the Royal Harp of Tara and France by the Fleur-de-lis, which was raised in Canada on July 24, 1534, by Jacques Cartier when he landed at Gaspé. The final and particularly Canadian section contains three maple leaves on a single stem. (Aboriginal symbols are not included because of the sequence of the historical events—that is, the founding of a new nation by European settlers despite the fact that the land itself was already occupied.)

 

 

 

The Ribbon

Bruce Hicks, of Ottawa, suggested that the Coat of Arms be augmented by a ribbon inscribed with the motto of the Order of Canada: Desiderantes Meliorem Patriam (They desire a better country). On July 12, 1994, this change was made by the Queen (Canada’s Head of State) on the advice of the prime minister of Canada. The addition is an indication of the changing nature and function of symbols.

 

 

 

The Helm, Mantling, and Crest

In heraldry the helm (an archaic form of the word helmet) is usually placed above the arms while the mantle (originally a loose cloak) has become a decorative accessory to the crest (the decoration at the top of the Coat of Arms that resembles plumes on a helmet). The Canadian Arms shows a golden barred helm draped with a mantle in the official colours of Canada, red and white. To mark the sovereignty of Canada, a crest of a crowned gold lion holding a maple leaf stands upon the helmet.

 

 

 

The Supporters

On either side of the shield are two figures known in heraldry as supporters. Canada’s supporters are an English lion and a Scottish unicorn, holding a Royal Union flag and a royalist French banner respectively.

 

 

 

The Motto

The supporters and shield rest on Canada’s motto, A Mari usque ad Mare (From Sea Unto Sea), which was first used officially on the head of the mace for the Legislative Assembly of the new Province of Saskatchewan in 1906. It was proposed for the Canadian Coat of Arms and approved by Order in Council in April 1921, and by Royal Proclamation in November 1921.

 

 

 

Floral Emblems

The base of the Coat of Arms is completed by the floral emblems of the four founding nations of Canada: the English Rose; the Scottish Thistle; the Irish Shamrock, and the French Fleur-de-lis.

 

 

 

The Imperial Crown

The finishing touch for the Coat of Arms is the St. Edward’s crown, which replaced the Tudor crown of the original 1921 design, further indication of the flexibility of symbols. The crown represents the presence of a monarch as Canada’s Head of State.

[ccg]

So it is indeed the simple answer.

 

Hmm... It never hit me that the Canadian 50c pieces from 1937- are probably the world's most common unicorn-depicting coin!

[AuldFartte]

Fascinating information, ccq ... Thanks for posting that