#411 Canada...Thanks Mike!

This cover features Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers set issued in 2009,focusing on the animals that will lose habitats if action is not taken.

By the end of this century, global temperatures are expected to rise between 1.4 and 5.8°C. Scientists predict that a 4°C temperature increase would melt nearly half the world’s glaciers. As they melt, we will see an increase in floods, water shortages, and a rise in sea levels that will destroy many, if not all, coastal communities and habitats. Climate change has already wiped out an entire ecosystem on the crumbling ice shelves of the Arctic.

Much more than just marvellous mounds of snow and ice, glaciers are the world’s largest freshwater reservoir. So large, in fact, that together they cover an expanse the size of South America. The rapid loss of these ice cores due to climate change threatens essential supplies of water necessary to maintain all forms of life on this planet.

#342 Canada...Thanks Kai!

The 52c stamp on the upper-right corner was issued in 2007 celebrating 150 years of Ottawa as Canada's capital.

On December 31, 1857, Queen Victoria was asked to choose a common capital for the Province of Canada (modern day Ontario and Quebec) and chose Ottawa. While Ottawa is now a major metropolis and Canada's fourth largest city, at the time it was a sometimes unruly logging town in the hinterland, far away from the colony's main cities, Quebec City and Montreal in Canada East, and Kingston and Toronto in Canada West.

The Queen's advisers suggested she pick Ottawa for many important reasons: first, it was the only settlement of any significant size located right on the border of Canada East and Canada West (today Quebec and Ontario), making it a compromise between the two colonies and their French and English populations; second, the War of 1812 had shown how vulnerable major Canadian cities were to American attack, since they were all located very close to the border, while Ottawa was then surrounded by dense forest far from the border; third, the government owned a large parcel of land on a spectacular spot overlooking the Ottawa River. Ottawa's position in the back country made it more defensible, while still allowing easy transportation over the Ottawa River to Canada East, and the Rideau Canal to Canada West. Two other considerations were that Ottawa was at a point nearly exactly midway between Toronto and Quebec City (~500 km/310 mi) and that the small size of the town made it less likely that politically motivated mobs could go on a rampage and destroy government buildings, as happened in the previous Canadian capitals. The Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal network meant that Ottawa could be supplied by water from Kingston and Montreal without going along the potentially treacherous US-Canada border.

In 1866, the legislature was finally moved to Ottawa, after a few years of alternating between Toronto and Quebec City.

#332 Canada...Thanks Laura!

The 64c stamp was issued in 1983 celebrating World University Games in Edmonton.

The $1 stamp is from 1977-82 definitive series showing Fundy National Parkis located on the Bay of Fundy, the village site being Alma, New Brunswick. It includes both seashore and Acadian coastal forests. The park covers an area of 207 km².

At low tide, park visitors can explore the ocean bottom which was 9 metres or more below the water's surface at high tide. The Caribou Plain trail and boardwalk provides access to upland forest and bog habitats. The park also includes more than 25 waterfalls.

Park amenities include a golf course, a heated saltwater swimming pool, three campgrounds, and a network of over 100 km of hiking and biking trails. The Dobson Trail and Fundy Footpath extend out of the park to Riverview and St. Martins respectively. A unique red-painted covered bridge is located at Point Wolfe.

The 6c stamp was issued in 1969 commemorating 50th anniv. of International Labor Organization (ILO),which is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the International Labour Office. The organization received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1969.

#285 Canada...Thanks Roberto!

This cover features 2010 Celebrating our Olympic Spirit souvenir sheet depicting the exhilaration and binding power of the Olympic spirit. The backgrounds of the stamps capture the energy of the Games with photographs of three sports: four-man bobsleigh, women’s cross-country sprint and men's short track relay speed skating.

The 57c stamp below is from 2010 The Four Indian Kings issue showing Etow Oh Koam to celebrate the 300th anniversary of four portraits that function as a record of early cultural and political diplomacy between the First Nations and the British Empire, and a negotiation that affected the course of power relations in North America.

In 1710, a delegation of “four Kings”—three from the Five Nations Confederacy of the Iroquois and one from the Algonquin nation—travelled to London acccompanied by colonial leaders, and had an audience with Queen Anne. The aboriginal representatives were being courted for their alliance in England’s war against France. Their visit created a sensation among Londoners, who wrote poems, ballads and songs about them. To commemorate their stay, the Queen commissioned court painter John Verelst to paint a portrait of each of her visitors. The paintings of the Four Indian Kings were held in the Royal Collection for more than a century before being acquired by the Government of Canada as national treasures in 1977.

“The Four Indian Kings are among the most significant documents held by Library and Archives Canada,” notes Dr. Daniel J. Caron, Librarian and Archivist of Canada. “The earliest surviving full-length depictions of North American Aboriginals painted from life, the portraits present a vivid record of the authoritative Aboriginal presence at the meeting with the British Queen in London on April 19, 1710.”

#229 Canada...Thanks Rita!

The 36c stamp was issued in 1987 celebrating 75th Grey Cup in Vancouver.

The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals.

Like the Stanley Cup used in the National Hockey League, the Grey Cup is reused every year. This varies from other professional sports leagues, which make a new (but identical) trophy every season for the new champion. Similarly, the Grey Cup also has the name of the winning players, coaches, and management staff (President & General Manager) engraved on its chalice.

The Grey Cup was donated by the then Governor General of Canada, the Earl Grey, to recognize the top amateur rugby football team in Canada in 1909.

The 37c stamp was issued in 1988 commemorating Bluenose and Capt.Walters.

Bluenose was a Canadian fishing and racing schooner from Nova Scotia built in 1921. She was later commemorated by a replica Bluenose II built in 1963. A celebrated racing ship and hard-working fishing vessel, Bluenose became a provincial icon for Nova Scotia as well as important Canadian symbol in the 1930s. The name "bluenose" originated as a nick-name for Nova Scotians from as early as the late eighteenth century.

Bluenose and her captain, Angus J. Walters of Lunenburg, were inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1955, making her the first and only non-human CSHF inductee until 1960.

The next 37c stamp was also issued in 1988 commemorating Les Forges Du St.Maurice (1738-1883),Canada's 1st industrial complex.

Forges du Saint-Maurice ("St. Maurice Ironworks"), just outside of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, is one of Canada's national historic sites, and birthplace of the country's iron industry.

The forge started working in 1738 and remained in virtually continuous operation until closing. It employed about 100 craftsmen (most originally from Burgundy) and 300-400 labourers in production of forged and molded iron products, including pots, pans, and stoves. Director F. E. Cugnet went bankrupt in 1742, leading to a state takeover and handover to Britain after the Treaty of Paris.

From 1738 into the mid-1830s, the Forges were "the most technologically advanced ironworks in America", but had become the oldest operating blast furnace in North America, and far out of date,by the time it shut down for good in March 1883.

In 1973, Forges du Saint-Maurice became a national historic park. Archaeological research there continues.

The 57c stamp shows a Gold Medal of Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

#180 Canada...Thanks Jaime!

#105 Canada...Thanks Trevor!

The left 57c stamp was issued on Feb.02,2010 to launch Canada Black History Month honoring William Hall V.C.

William Hall VC (1825–1904) was the first black person, first Nova Scotian, and third Canadian to receive the Victoria Cross.He was born to former American slaves and joined the crew of an American trading vessel in 1844 and the Royal Navy in 1852. He fought in the Crimean War and Indian Mutiny.

The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories. It takes precedence over all other orders, decorations and medals. It may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service and civilians under military command.

The middle 57c stamp was issued on Feb.08,2010 honoring Romeo LeBlanc, governor general of Canada from 1995 to 1999.

LeBlanc was born and educated on Canada's east coast and also studied in France prior to becoming a teacher and then a journalist for Radio-Canada. He was subsequently elected to the House of Commons in 1972, whereafter he served as a minister of the Crown until 1984, when he was moved to the Senate and became that chamber's Speaker. LeBlanc's later appointment as the Queen's representative caused some controversy, due to perceptions of political favouritism, though he was praised for raising the stature of Acadians and francophones, and for opening up Rideau Hall to ordinary Canadians and tourists alike.

LeBlanc died in 2009 after a slow decline from Alzheimer's disease.

#043 Canada...Thanks Craig!

The 54c stamp is from Canadian Horse set issued on May.19,2009 to honour their much-valued contributions to country’s settlement.

Canadian Horse—a strong, sturdy creature with royal lineage and a long presence in Canada. In 1665, the King of France sent several shipments of horses to the colony of New France. Straight from the King’s royal stables, these Norman and Breton steeds were of mixed origin and included Arabian, Barb and Andalusian stock. Since they developed in isolation from other breeds, these horses eventually merged into a breed of their own, now recognized as the Canadian Horse.

Because of its resilience in the face of harsh weather conditions, the Canadian Horse outworked and outlived larger breeds of horses—a feat that earned it the nickname, “The Little Iron Horse.” Though threatened with extinction in the late 19th century, efforts were made to preserve the breed. In 2002, the Government of Canada honoured the Little Iron Horse’s legacy by declaring it the national horse of Canada.

The 57c stamp is from Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games set issued on Jan.12,2010.

The Coast Salish people were the first to discover the breathtaking abundance of the Pacific Northwest thousands of years ago, when they settled in the Lower Mainland of what would become British Columbia. Much later, in 1792, Captain George Vancouver put the region on the map when he wrote of “innumerable pleasing landscapes” along the shores of the city that would later bear his name. This winter, sports fans and top athletes from around the world will have the chance to embrace the Vancouver area’s rich cultural heritage and discover its natural splendours when they unite for a celebration of human spirit and achievement, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

The P stamp is Canadian Year of Tiger issue which marks the second release in a twelve-year Lunar New Year series.

Oh..The little 2c stamp illustrates a catterpillar of Monarch butterfly (Danaus Plexippus),which is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies.

What a gorgeous mixture of knowledge in this cover!

#031 Canada...Thanks Eric!

This cover features a Lest We Forget souvenir sheet issued on Oct.19,2009.

Every year on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadian people share a moment of silence to honour the memory of the men and women of Canada’s Armed Forces who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. This tradition provides an opportunity to express collective sense of sorrow for the loss that war produces, as well as a chance to rejoice in the legacy of peace and freedom that Canadian soldiers have defended and preserved.

The 54c stamp is from 2009 International Year of Astronomy issue of Canada.

It features the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). This world-class 3.6 metre telescope is located atop the summit of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano rising 4,200 metres above the Pacific Ocean. Opened in 1979, the highly-successful CFHT is Canada’s first partnership in an international observatory, in this case between the University of Hawaii, France’s Centre national de la recherche scientifique, and the National Research Council of Canada. The observatory is featured before the Eagle Nebula, a massive tower of cold gas and dust shaped like a mythical beast in the constellation of Serpens. Both nebulae were photographed by Jean-Charles Cuillandre with the CFHT