[press release]
New stamps to be issued with France mark 100th anniversary of Canadian sacrifice and victory in the Battle of Vimy Ridge
This significant First World War action was pivotal in our history
OTTAWA – On April 8, 2017, Canada Post will issue commemorative stamps to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, an impressive victory in the First World War that was a coming-of-age moment for Canada.
The joint issue with France will feature two stamps, one designed by Canada Post and the other by France’s La Poste, honouring the bond that the battle on French soil forged between the two nations.
At 5:30 a.m. on April 9, 1917, the first wave of soldiers in the nearly 100,000-strong Canadian Corps emerged from their muddy trenches. The Corps was ordered to seize a heavily fortified and strategic height of land, Vimy Ridge, in northern France. The ridge had been a virtually impregnable German-held position since early in the war and had withstood several previous assaults, at great cost to the Allies.
Advancing on the heels of a ferocious artillery barrage that pounded the German defences, the Canadians crossed a treacherous no man’s land, attacked up hill and played a vital role in helping Allied forces capture Vimy Ridge.
It was one of the most impressive Allied victories of the First World War – but it came at a heavy price. Nearly 3,600 Canadians were killed and more than 7,000 were wounded over four days of bitter fighting. The Canadian soldiers’ bravery, determination and skillful precision at Vimy earned Canada international accolades. To this day, the Battle of Vimy Ridge is considered by many to be one of the defining moments that helped to forge a proud, more independent identity for a nation that was still relatively young.
“The Battle of Vimy Ridge saw thousands of Canadians make the ultimate sacrifice and is the best-known chapter in our country’s proud First World War history,” says Deepak Chopra, President and CEO of Canada Post. “The valour of Canadians at Vimy a century ago is a poignant reminder of the enormous price paid so we can live in freedom.”
The Canadian stamp was designed by Susan Scott of Montréal and features the two towering pylons of Walter Allward’s Vimy monument, which represent France and Canada. 
The sheer scale of the monument reflects Canada’s important contribution to Allied victory in the First World War. In the foreground of the stamp is a figure of a grieving man, one of the monument’s statues, symbolizing loss and grief. The ridge behind the monument on the stamp recalls the site of the battle itself.
Also represented on the stamp are the thousands of names inscribed around the base of 
the monument. They are a memorial to all the Canadians who died in France during the First World War and had no known grave at the time. Laurel sprigs surrounding the monument’s two towers on the stamp represent the victory and tragic loss of life. A maple leaf on one sprig represents Canada, while an oak leaf on the other represents France.
The Canadian National Vimy Memorial was featured on a stamp Canada Post issued in 1968, commemorating the 50-year anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War.
About the stamps
Available in a booklet of 10, the domestic rate stamps measure 41 mm x 30 mm and feature lithography in a four-colour process and two special inks. A Canada souvenir sheet at the Canadian international rate featuring two stamps – one designed by Canada and one by France – measures 130 mm x 85 mm and includes lithography and offset gravure printing. An official first day cover with a single domestic rate stamp and a joint official first day cover with both stamps at the Canadian international rate measure 190 mm x 112 mm and feature a four-colour process and one special ink.
Canada Post and France’s La Poste unveiled stamps to honour the Canadian soldiers who fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917. His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada (left), was joined by Deepak Chopra, President and CEO of Canada Post, to unveil the Canadian stamp. France’s stamp was unveiled by His Excellency Nicolas Chapuis, Ambassador of France to Canada, and Benoît Georges, representative of La Poste for the Americas. Photo by Denis Drever\Canada Post.
En Francais:
Une émission conjointe avec la France souligne le centenaire de la victoire du Canada à Vimy et les sacrifices de nos soldats
Cette importante bataille de la Première Guerre mondiale est un événement charnière de notre histoire
OTTAWA – Le 8 avril 2017, Postes Canada émettra des timbres commémoratifs pour souligner le centenaire de la bataille de la crête de Vimy, une victoire remarquable qui donna au Canada son identité propre.
Cette émission conjointe du Canada et de la France est composée de deux timbres, l’un conçu par Postes Canada et l’autre par La Poste (France), pour illustrer le lien que ce combat en sol français a créé entre les deux nations.
À 5 h 30 le 9 avril 1917, la première vague des quelque 100 000 soldats canadiens sort des tranchées boueuses. Le corps d’armée doit prendre une partie stratégique très élevée et puissamment fortifiée du nord de la France, la crête de Vimy. Dès le début de la guerre, les Allemands avaient envahi cette position, la rendant quasi impénétrable. Elle avait déjà résisté à plusieurs assauts, forçant les alliés à combattre au prix de grands sacrifices.
Dans la foulée d’un terrible barrage d’artillerie qui a pilonné la défensive allemande, les soldats canadiens traversent une zone périlleuse, attaquent l’ennemi en amont et jouent un rôle primordial dans la prise de la crête de Vimy par les forces alliées.
Cette victoire est l’une des plus impressionnantes des forces alliées, mais le tribut payé est très lourd. En quatre jours de combat sans merci, près de 3 600 Canadiens sont tués et plus de 7 000 subissent des blessures. La bravoure, la détermination et la précision des soldats canadiens à Vimy ont valu au Canada les éloges du monde entier. À ce jour, la bataille de la crête de Vimy est considérée par plusieurs comme faisant partie des grands moments qui ont permis au Canada, encore relativement jeune, de se forger une identité distincte et empreinte de fierté.
« La bataille de la crête de Vimy a coûté la vie à des milliers de Canadiens et elle représente un volet incontournable du rôle de notre pays dans la Première Guerre mondiale, affirme Deepak Chopra, président-directeur général de Postes Canada. Le courage des Canadiens à Vimy il y a cent ans est un douloureux rappel de l’énorme prix payé pour la liberté. »
Le timbre Canadien, conçu par Susan Scott de Montréal, représente les deux colonnes jumelles du majestueux Mémorial national du Canada à Vimy, chef-d’œuvre de Walter Allward, qui représente la France et le Canada. La taille imposante du monument évoque l’importante contribution du Canada dans la victoire des alliés et la fin des combats de la Première Guerre mondiale. La vignette représente à l’avant-plan une des statues érigées sur le monument, celle d’un homme affligé symbolisant le deuil. Derrière le monument, la crête rappelle le site de la bataille.
Illustrés également sur le motif sont les milliers de noms gravés autour du monument, évoquant le souvenir de tous les Canadiens qui sont morts en France durant la Première Guerre mondiale et dont le lieu de sépulture est inconnu. Les branches de laurier qui forment un cercle devant les deux tours du monument représentent à la fois la victoire et la perte tragique de vies humaines. La feuille d’érable symbolise le Canada, alors que la feuille de chêne symbolise la France.
Postes Canada a émis en 1968 un timbre orné du Mémorial national du Canada à Vimy à l’occasion du 50e anniversaire de l’armistice qui a mis fin à la Première Guerre mondiale.
À propos des timbres
Proposés en carnets de 10, les timbres au tarif du régime intérieur mesurent 41 mm x 30 mm et sont lithographiés en quatre couleurs au moyen de deux encres spéciales. Un bloc-feuillet Canada au tarif du régime international en monnaie canadienne et composé des deux timbres – l’un conçu par le Canada et l’autre par la France – mesure 130 mm x 85 mm et il est imprimé selon les techniques de lithographie et d’héliogravure. Un pli Premier Jour officiel comportant un seul timbre au tarif du régime intérieur et un pli Premier Jour officiel conjoint comportant les deux timbres au tarif du régime international en monnaie canadienne mesurent 190 mm x 112 mm et sont imprimés en quadrichromie avec une encre spéciale.
Annual flower issue timed for spring and newlyweds OTTAWA Ð Once again, Canada Post will welcome spring and delight future newlyweds, gardeners and collectors with their annual spring flower issue. This year, the domestic-rate Permanent stamps will focus on two colourful varieties of daisies:
While named after a shoreline village in Ohio, the lakeside daisy is now almost exclusively found on southern Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. Designated “threatened” on both federal and provincial species-at-risk lists, the perennial plant thrives in development-prone areas of exposed bedrock with scant soil.
For 2017, all stamp issues will include references to Canada’s sesquicentennial. For the Daisies issue, the words “Canada 150” are printed on the stamps in microtype. Due to the popularity of this issue for wedding invitations and stationery, the 26 mm (W) X 32 mm (H) stamps are available in booklets of 10 or coils of 50 — with the coil liner printed with the lyrics of Harry Dacre’s 1892 classic song, “Daisy, Daisy.” A two-stamp Souvenir Sheet, prepaid postcards of both designs and strips of four and 10 stamps from the coil are also available. An Official First Day cover featuring both stamps is canceled in Tobermory, Ontario. The stamps were designed and illustrated by Debbie Adams, of Adams + Associates Design Consultants Inc. and printed by the Lowe-Martin Group. 
The souvenir sheet 
The Official First Day Cover
OTTAWA — In time for the 2017 opera season, Canada Post has launched five stamps celebrating two significant Canadian-penned operas and three individuals who helped to put modern Canadian opera talent on the world stage.
Two of the highly theatrical stamps depict significant Canadian operas. 
both the 50th anniversary of its debut by the Canadian Opera Company and Canada’s sesquicentennial.
discovering and fostering some of the country’s greatest talent.
scholars.
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Crafted by Lara Minja, of Lime Design, these definitive stamps showcase five places in Canada that have special status because of their importance to the common heritage of humanity. Mistaken Point (N.L.), the Historic District of Old Québec (Que.) and L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site (N.L.) make their debut in the series, while Dinosaur Provincial Park (Alta.) and Red Bay Basque Whaling Station (N.L.) enjoy an encore.
Cancelled in a fishing community near Mistaken Point – Canada’s latest UNESCO site – the Official First Day Cover boasts a souvenir sheet with some hidden features in celebration of Canada’s sesqui- centennial. Use black light to explore our tribute to these captivating sites and you’ll find the official Canada 150 logo and text waiting to be discovered. 
[January 16th press release]
CO World Heritage Sites.
e than four centuries. Fortified with walls, gates and bastions, this is the only colonial city north of Mexico to have preserved its ramparts.
OTTAWA – Canada Post will greet the Year of the Rooster with a two-stamp issue, the ninth in its most recent series honouring the Lunar New Year. A Permanent™ domestic-rate stamp featuring a rooster image, with its chest proudly puffed out, is paired with an international-rate stamp offering a close-cropped profile view of the rooster’s stately face. Both images are created from lines of gold foil.
The Year of the Rooster arrives on January 28, 2017, and runs until February 15, 2018. Those born under this sign are honest, courageous and confident. Marked for success, they achieve their goals through a combination of wit, charm and hard work.
[press release]
January 9 
