8.2.3 Coat of Arms and Motto

After the First World War, Canadians felt a strong sense of national pride. Out of that feeling the country adopted an official coat of arms, also called the Royal Arms of Canada, and a national motto. The motto is in Latin: A Mari Usque Ad Mare. In English it means "from sea to sea." The words describe a country that stretches across a continent, from one ocean to another, and they are learned by everyone preparing for citizenship.

The arms gather the roots of the country into one design. They carry symbols of England, France, Scotland and Ireland, and red maple leaves for Canada itself. You do not need to visit a palace to see them. The arms are printed on dollar bills, they head government documents, and they are fixed to public buildings across the country. In this way the four founding traditions and the maple leaf appear together in ordinary daily life.