Issue date: April 24, 2020

From Canada Post:
Eid Mubarak! The traditional Arabic greeting of “have a blessed Eid” is presented in calligraphy on this stamp issued to mark the two most important festivals in the Islamic calendar. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are celebrated by Muslims around the world, including more than one million Muslims in Canada.

Designed by Context Creative, the stamp features Arabic calligraphy that reads Eid Mubarak – a common greeting that means “Have a blessed Eid.” Printed by Lowe-Martin, the Permanent™ stamps are available in a booklet of 10 PERMANENT™ domestic-rate stamps (130,000 booklets/1.3 million stamps) and an Official First Day Cover (7,000). Order directly here.The booklet pane (above)

Eid Moubarak! Un nouveau timbre annonciateur de deux fêtes islamiques

TORONTO, le 24 avril 2020 – Aujourd’hui, Postes Canada a émis un nouveau timbre commémoratif en l’honneur des deux plus importantes fêtes de la religion islamique : l’Aïd al-Fitr et l’Aïd al-Adha. Les événements, qui cette année commenceront le 23 mai et le 30 juillet respectivement, sont célébrés par plus d’un million de musulmans au Canada.

Au sujet des fêtes
L’Aïd al-Fitr, la fête de la rupture du jeûne, marque la fin du ramadan, le mois sacré du calendrier islamique durant lequel de nombreux musulmans jeûnent de l’aube au crépuscule. L’Aïd al-Adha, la fête du sacrifice, souligne la fin du pèlerinage annuel à La Mecque, dont les plans pourraient changer cette année en raison de la pandémie de COVID-19. D’une durée de plusieurs jours, ces deux fêtes sont généralement synonymes de prières en groupe, de visites familiales, de festins communs, de cadeaux et d’actes de charité.

À propos du timbre
Créé par Context Creative et imprimé par Lowe-Martin, le timbre porte la mention calligraphiée Eid Mubarak qui signifie « Vœux d’un Aïd béni » en arabe. Un carnet de 10 timbres PermanentsMC au tarif du régime intérieur et un pli Premier Jour officiel sont offerts. The Official First Day Cover (above)

Issued: March 2, 2020

[press release]
Canada Post cultivates thoughts of spring with dahlia stamps
Popular wedding flower is a favourite with Canadian gardeners OTTAWA – Just in time to comfort the winter weary, Canada Post has released its annual flower stamp issue. This year’s offering features the colourful dahlia, a familiar standby for many Canadian gardeners.

Spikey, showy and uncomplicated, dahlias are part of the Asteraceae family, which includes sunflowers, daisies, chrysanthemums and zinnias. Single or double flowering, dahlias come in a rainbow of colours (except blue). Considered an annual in Canada, these robust plants will bloom in most parts of the country from mid-summer until the first frost. In the Victorian era, dahlias were exchanged by couples as a show of commitment. They are still widely used in weddings and are said to symbolize honesty, balance, inner strength, creativity, positive change and kindness. More recently, the dahlia has become symbol of diversity, given the seamless way each petal fits into the whole flower head.

The stamps are available in booklets of 10 – five of each of the two designs – with matching envelope seals, as well as in convenient coils of 50, offering 25 of each design, for use on wedding invitations and stationery. A two-stamp souvenir sheet is available for collectors, along with strips of four and 10 stamps from the coil. An Official First Day Cover featuring both stamps is cancelled in Bloomfield, N.L. The stamp was designed by Lionel Gadoury, Umaymah Motala and Malika Soin of Context Creative, with photography by Veronique Meignaud. The booklet, souvenir sheet and Official First Day Cover were printed by Canadian Bank Note and the coil by Lowe-Martin.

Stamps and collectibles are available at canadapost.ca and at postal outlets across Canada.

Postes Canada annonce l’arrivée du printemps avec ses timbres sur le dahlia
Cette fleur très prisée par les jardiniers canadiens est souvent utilisée à l’occasion de mariages

OTTAWA – Juste à temps pour nous soulager des rigueurs de l’hiver, Postes Canada a lancé son émission de timbres annuelle sur les fleurs. Les vignettes de cette année mettent en vedette le coloré dahlia, l’une des fleurs préférées des jardiniers canadiens.

À la fois spectaculaire et simple, tout petit ou imposant et garni de pétales pointus, le dahlia appartient à la famille des astéracées, qui comprend le tournesol, la marguerite, le chrysanthème et le zinnia. Que ce soit en fleurs simples ou doubles, le dahlia existe dans un nombre infini de couleurs, à l’exception du bleu. Cette plante robuste, considérée comme une annuelle au Canada, fleurit dans la plupart des régions du pays du milieu de l’été jusqu’au premier gel. À l’époque victorienne, les couples s’échangeaient un dahlia comme promesse d’engagement. Encore très utilisée à l’occasion de mariages, cette fleur symbolise traditionnellement l’honnêteté, l’équilibre, la force intérieure, la créativité, le changement positif et la bonté. De nos jours, elle représente la diversité, en raison de la façon harmonieuse dont ses nombreux pétales forment la corolle.

Les timbres, offerts en carnets de 10 (5 de chacun des deux motifs) avec les sceaux d’enveloppe assortis, de même qu’en rouleaux de 50 (25 de chaque motif), se prêtent bien aux invitations de mariage et au papier à lettres en général. Les collectionneurs peuvent se procurer un bloc-feuillet de 2 timbres ainsi que des bandes de 4 et de 10 timbres du rouleau. Un pli Premier Jour officiel est également proposé, orné des deux motifs et rehaussé d’un cachet d’oblitération portant la mention « BLOOMFIELD NL ». Lionel Gadoury, Umaymah Motala et Malika Soin, de la maison Context Creative, signent le design et Veronique Meignaud, la photographie. Le carnet, le bloc-feuillet et le pli Premier Jour officiel ont été imprimés par Canadian Bank Note et le rouleau par Lowe-Martin.

Les timbres et autres articles de collection sont en vente à postescanada.ca et dans les comptoirs postaux d’un bout à l’autre du pays.

From Canada Post’s Details magazine: “In what has become a much-anticipated postal tradition, Canada Post welcomes spring with its annual flower issue – this year, featuring brightly coloured dahlias – just in time for the wedding season and other bloom-worthy celebrations.

“Dahlias can be found in almost every colour of the rainbow, except blue. Said to symbolize honesty, balance, inner strength, creativity, positive change and kindness, they have more recently come to be associated with diversity because of the seamless way their many petals form a single, dazzling blossom.

“According to Carolyn Cutt, President of the Hamilton & District Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Society, “Canadian gardeners enjoy dahlias for their long- blooming, show-stopping appeal, and because they provide a nectar source for pollinators until winter.”

“The fact that Victorian couples gave each other dahlias as a symbol of commitment may be a reason they’re still such a popular choice for wedding floral arrangements.”

Additional information will appear below the line, with the most-recent at the top.

The final programme:

January 13 January 17 January 24 March 2 April 24 April 29 May 7 May 20 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 October 15 October 28 Nov. 2 Nov. 2 Nov. 5

From Far and Wide Year of the Rat Colored Hockey Championship Dahlia Eid Allied Victory in Europe, 75th anniv. Group of Seven (art), 100th anniv. History of Radio Medical Groundbreakers Community Foundation Diwali Mary Riter Hamilton Christmas: Maud Lewis Christmas: The Nativity Hanukah

Updated November 19th.

[press release]
Black History Month stamp celebrates little-known hockey history
The Colored Hockey Championship stamp tells the story of overcoming adversity

HALIFAX, N.S. – Canada Post today unveiled a stamp honouring the Colored Hockey Championship and the all-Black hockey teams in the Maritimes that competed for it between 1895 and the early 1930s.

In this little-known chapter in Canadian hockey history, determined organizers and players arranged their own challenge matches, dispelling hurtful misconceptions and changing the game in small but important ways.

In the late 19th century, Baptist Church leaders believed all-Black hockey would be a great way to attract young Black men to the Church to strengthen their religious path. Games became community events that brought mixed audiences together in the stands; and post-game meals united Black players from different communities.

There was no predetermined game schedule. Rather, teams challenged each other to matches by telegraph or by placing ads in local newspapers. Organizers, players and newspapers of the day called the ultimate prize the Colored Hockey Championship, a term not in use today, but which the stamp issue retains because it is historically accurate.

The stamp acknowledges some of the game’s early developments, including some of the earliest recorded uses of down-to-the-ice goaltending, which was later adopted by players in “white-only” leagues, including professional leagues. At that time, hockey goalies in other leagues stood upright.  [Booklet cover shown on left.]

The first record of an all-Black hockey game in the Halifax area dates back to March 1895 and involved the Dartmouth Jubilees and the Halifax Stanleys. Six more teams would soon form, including one from Prince Edward Island. There were the Halifax Eurekas, Africville Sea-Sides, Truro Victorias, Hammonds Plains Moss Backs, Amherst Royals and Charlottetown West End Rangers.

The golden era of all-Black hockey was between 1900 and 1905, when games often outdrew those of “white-only” leagues, but teams continued to play for the Colored Hockey Championship until the 1930s.

Designed by Lara Minja of Lime Design, the stamp features an illustration of the Halifax Eurekas, the Colored Hockey Champions in 1904. The illustration by Ron Dollekamp is based on a historical photograph. The stamp is available in booklets of 10; the Official First Day Cover [below] is cancelled in Halifax. Canada Post is proud to honour the courage of those who organized and played all-Black hockey and helped to make this little-known story part of Canada’s national discussion. Le timbre du Mois de l’histoire des Noirs met en lumière un pan méconnu de l’histoire du hockey
La vignette consacrée au Colored Hockey Championship raconte une histoire de courage dans l’adversité

HALIFAX, N.-É. – Aujourd’hui, Postes Canada a dévoilé un timbre célébrant le Colored Hockey Championship et les équipes de hockey sur glace uniquement composées de joueurs noirs qui se sont disputé le titre dans les Maritimes entre 1895 et le début des années 1930.

Durant cette époque peu connue de l’histoire du hockey canadien, des organisateurs et des joueurs déterminés ont mis sur pied leurs propres matchs, dissipé des idées fausses blessantes et contribué à changer le jeu de manière modeste, mais non négligeable.

À la fin du XIXe siècle, les dirigeants de l’Église baptiste croyaient que le hockey noir serait un excellent moyen d’attirer davantage de jeunes hommes à l’église et de fortifier leur foi. Les parties sont devenues des événements communautaires qui ont rassemblé des publics mixtes dans les gradins et les repas d’après-match ont uni les joueurs noirs de différentes communautés.

Il n’y avait pas de calendrier de jeu préétabli. Les matchs étaient organisés de manière ponctuelle lorsqu’une équipe en défiait une autre par télégraphe ou dans un journal local. Les organisateurs, les joueurs et les journaux de l’époque ont appelé le prix tant convoité le Colored Hockey Championship, un nom qui n’est plus utilisé aujourd’hui, mais qui figure sur le timbre puisqu’il est exact d’un point de vue historique.

Le timbre souligne certains des premiers développements de l’histoire du hockey, notamment la pratique autorisant le gardien à se mettre à genoux pour arrêter la rondelle, qui a plus tard été adoptée par les joueurs des ligues blanches, y compris les ligues professionnelles.

Les premières traces d’équipes de hockey uniquement composées de joueurs noirs dans la région de Halifax remontent à mars 1895, alors qu’un match a opposé les Jubilees de Dartmouth et les Stanleys de Halifax. Peu de temps après, six autres équipes se sont formées, dont une à l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard : les Eurekas de Halifax, les Sea-Sides d’Africville, les Victorias de Truro, les Moss Backs de Hammonds Plains, les Royals d’Amherst et les West End Rangers de Charlottetown.

L’âge d’or du hockey noir se situe entre 1900 et 1905, alors que ces matchs attiraient souvent un public plus nombreux que ceux des ligues réservées aux joueurs blancs, mais les équipes composées uniquement de hockeyeurs noirs ont continué de se lancer le défi du Colored Hockey Championship jusqu’aux années 1930.

Conçue par Lara Minja de Lime Design, la vignette présente une illustration des Eurekas de Halifax, l’équipe qui a remporté le championnat en 1904. L’illustration, réalisée par Ron Dollekamp, est basée sur une photo historique. Le timbre est offert en carnet de 10 et le pli Premier Jour officiel est orné d’un cachet d’oblitération portant la mention « Halifax NS».

Postes Canada est fière d’honorer le courage de ceux qui ont organisé des matchs de hockey noir et qui y ont joué, et qui ont contribué intégrer cette histoire méconnue dans la trame narrative du pays. [Canada Post press release January 20th]
Black History Month stamp celebrates the Colored Hockey Championship

OTTAWA, Jan. 20, 2020 /CNW/ – Canada Post invites you to celebrate Black History Month by attending the unveiling of a stamp honoring the Colored Hockey Championship, a little-known chapter in Canadian hockey history. The stamp tells the story of all-Black hockey in the Maritimes between 1895 and the early 1930s.

WHAT: Unveiling of the Colored Hockey Championship commemorative stamp
and the all-Black hockey teams that played in the Maritimes in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

WHERE: Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia
10 Cherry Brook Road
Cherry Brook, Nova Scotia

WHEN: Thursday, January 23
10:30 am – 11:30 am

[press release]
From Far and Wide: New stamps showcase nine more must-see sites
Third edition of scenic series entices travellers to explore more amazing Canadian locales.

Issue Date: January 13, 2020

OTTAWA – Canada Post has released the third set of stamps in its From Far and Wide series. Continuing the theme of the 2018 and 2019 issues, the latest edition presents stamps featuring more of Canada’s most breathtaking vistas, released to transport mail to places near and far — and send one’s sense of wanderlust soaring.

The set of nine stamps includes five Permanent™ domestic-rate stamps, as well as stamps denominated at U.S., International, Oversized and single-purchase rates. This year, the From Far and Wide stamps showcase:

• Abraham Lake, Alta. [right]
  
• Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park, Sask.
• Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island, N.S.
• Carcajou Falls, N.W.T.
• French River, P.E.I.
• Herschel Island-Qikiqtaruk Territorial Park, Yukon
• Îles de la Madeleine, Que.
• Kootenay National Park, B.C.
• Swallowtail Lighthouse, Grand Manan Island, N.B.

The Permanent domestic-rate stamps are available in booklets of 10 (two of each image) and coils of 100, while the U.S.-, Oversized- and International-rate denominations come in booklets of six and coils of 50. The issue also includes a collectible souvenir sheet featuring all nine stamps. The Official First Day Cover [above] is cancelled in Radium Hot Springs, B.C., in honour of the 100th anniversary of Kootenay National Park, the location featured on the U.S.-rate stamp. The issue was designed by Stéphane Huot of Montréal.

Terre de nos aïeux : de nouveaux timbres illustrent neuf autres lieux incontournables
Ce troisième volet de la série fait découvrir de nouvelles régions spectaculaires du Canada

Jour d’emission: 13 Janvier 2020

OTTAWA – Postes Canada a lancé le troisième jeu de timbres de la série Terre de nos aïeux. Comme ceux de 2018 et de 2019, le plus récent volet de la série, qui illustre d’autres paysages canadiens à couper le souffle, servira au transport du courrier ici et ailleurs et invitera au voyage même les esprits les plus casaniers.

Le jeu de neuf vignettes comprend cinq timbres Permanents™ au tarif du régime intérieur, ainsi que des timbres aux tarifs des envois à destination des États-Unis, du régime international, des articles surdimensionnés et à l’unité. Cette année, la série Terre de nos aïeux met en vedette:

• Abraham Lake, Alberta
• Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park, Saskatchewan [droit]
• Cabot Trail, île du Cap-Breton, Nouvelle-Écosse
• Carcajou Falls, Territoires du Nord-Ouest
• French River, île du Prince-Édouard
• Parc territorial de l’île Herschel (Qikiqtaruk), Yukon
• Îles de la Madeleine, Québec
• Parc national Kootenay, Colombie-Britannique
• Phare Swallowtail, île Grand Manan, Nouveau-Brunswick

Les timbres Permanents au tarif du régime intérieur sont offerts en carnets de dix (deux pour chaque image) et en rouleaux de cent, alors que les timbres aux tarifs des envois à destination des États-Unis, des envois surdimensionnés et des envois du régime international sont offerts en carnets de six et en rouleaux de cinquante. Cette émission comprend aussi un bloc-feuillet de collection qui contient les neuf timbres. Le pli Premier Jour officiel est oblitéré à Radium Hot Springs, en Colombie-Britannique, en l’honneur du 100e anniversaire du parc national Kootenay qui est illustré sur le timbre au tarif des envois à destination des États-Unis. Cette émission a été conçue par Stéphane Huot, de Montréal.

[press release]
Happy Lunar New Year! Canada Post celebrates Year of the Rat
Final issue in second 12-year series inspired by Chinese folk art

TORONTO, Jan. 16, 2020 /CNW/ – Canada Post has issued two stamps celebrating the Year of the Rat – representing the first year in the Lunar New Year cycle and the final issue in a second 12-year series honouring the annual festival.

The Year of the Rat begins on January 25, 2020, and ends on February 11, 2021. A symbol of fertility and intelligence, the rat is said to confer great cunning, tact and vitality on those born under its sign.

Designed by Albert Ng (O.Ont.) and Seung Jai Paek, of Albert Ng and Associates, the stamps portray the traditional story of the rat’s daughter’s wedding in the style of folk art known as Chinese farmer painting. The Permanent™ domestic-rate stamp depicts the bride on route to her nuptials, while the International-rate stamp reveals the happily married couple.

The Year of the Rat stamps will be available tomorrow, January 17, in Permanent domestic- and International-rate booklets, as well as a gummed pane of 25 domestic-rate stamps framed by four Chinese blessings. Philatelic collectibles include an unsealed, International-rate Official First Day Cover suitable for use as a “money envelope” for traditional gift-giving.

There stamps and philatelic products can be ordered from the Canada Post website.The domestic-rate booklet pane The domestic-rate OFDC The international-rate booklet pane The international-rate souvenir sheet. The international-rate souvenir sheet OFDC. The 2019/2020 souvenir sheet

[press release]
2020 Canadian stamps will tell stories of the Group of Seven, medical groundbreakers and V-E Day’s 75th anniversary
Stamps will also explore the history of radio in Canada and celebrate artist Maud Lewis, our landscapes, Indigenous Peoples and festivals

OTTAWA – The stories behind some of Canada’s most historic moments, awe-inspiring achievements, artistic icons and medical visionaries will come to life in the 2020 stamp program. Here are highlights:

• Canadians who contributed to the Allied victory will be honoured with stamps marking the 75th anniversary of V-E Day – the end of the Second World War in Europe;
• the history of radio in Canada; [Below, radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi watching associates raising the kite (a “Levitor” by B.F.S. Baden-Powell) used to lift the antenna at St. John’s, Newfoundland, December 1901. Photo from Wikipedia.]
• notable works by the Group of Seven in a seven-stamp set marking their 100th anniversary;
• an issue featuring two legends of Canadian ballet;
• the history, culture and contributions of Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis;
• an issue of vintage travel posters (promising sunny skies, memorable sights and fascinating adventures);
• a five-stamp set on medical groundbreakers to honour the life-saving contributions of some of Canada’s most respected health care researchers;
• a stamp featuring an evocative work by First World War artist Mary Riter Hamilton.

These popular multi-year stamp series will make an encore appearance:

• Dahlias will be the pretty pick for this year’s annual Flowers stamps;
• breathtaking images of the Northwest Territories’ Carcajou Falls, Prince Edward Island’s French River and British Columbia’s Kootenay National Park, which celebrates its centennial in 2020, in the From Far and Wide series;
• the long-running Lunar New Year series will reach the tail end with the Year of the Rat;
• Black History Month will be commemorated in time for February celebrations;
• the Canada Post Community Foundation stamp issue will continue to support Canadian children and youth;
• Eid, Diwali and Hanukkah will return as part of a recurring series;
• our Christmas and holiday stamps will feature traditional scenes of the Nativity and the colourful folk art of Nova Scotia’s Maud Lewis.

Canada Post is proud of its role as Canada’s storyteller. The independent Stamp Advisory Committee, which recommends the subjects for our annual stamp program, relies on thoughtful input from groups and individuals to ensure that our choices are meaningful to Canadians.

Added November 4, 2019, from Details magazine/catalogue:

Would you like a sneak peek into the future of the Canadian stamp program? Here are some of the issues we’re excited to release next year.

We’ll kick off 2020 with another set of From Far and Wide definitive stamps depicting nine more scenic sites to add to your bucket list. We’ll end the Lunar New Year cycle with the Year of the Rat, honour Black History Month and offer a bouquet of dahlias for our annual Flowers series.

In the spring , we’ll mark the 75th anniversary of the Victory in Europe, celebrate Eid with a new stamp design, turn the dial to the history of radio in Canada, and applaud the arts with stamp issues honouring the Group of Seven and Canadian ballet legends. We’ll also offer stamps featuring some amazing destinations with an issue on vintage travel posters.

In the fall, the Canada Post Community Foundation stamp will once again provide Canadians with a means of helping children and youth. We’ll salute Canadian medical groundbreakers whose research has saved countless lives, mark the luminous festival of Diwali and remember those who have served in our nation’s defence with a stamp featuring the work of war artist Mary Riter Hamilton. Finally, we’ll wrap up the year with holiday stamps featuring the Nativity, the festive folk art of Maud Lewis and a new Hanukkah issue.

We always welcome topics for the annual stamp program (note that we work 12 to 24 months ahead of the date of issue). If you have any ideas you’d like considered, please send them to:

Chair of the Stamp Advisory Committee
Canada Post Corporation
2701 Riverside Drive Suite N875
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0B1