Canadian symbols

Look at a police officer's badge, the front of a courthouse or the cap badge of a soldier and you will find the same shape: a crown. It has been the symbol of the state in Canada for 400 years, longer than the country itself has existed.

Canada has been a constitutional monarchy since Confederation in 1867. That is why the Crown shows up in every institution that holds public authority: Parliament, the provincial legislatures, the courts, the police services and the Canadian Forces. The crown on a badge is a reminder of who the officer wearing it ultimately serves.

The Crown has its own music. "God Save the King", or Queen when the Sovereign is a woman, is the Royal Anthem of Canada, played when the Sovereign is being honoured. It is a separate piece from the national anthem, and the test expects you to tell them apart.

The flag you see on public buildings is younger than most of the people saluting it. It was raised for the first time in 1965. The red-white-red pattern came from the flag of the Royal Military College in Kingston, founded in 1876, and a single red maple leaf went in the middle. Red and white had already become Canada's national colours in 1921. Before 1965 the country flew the Canadian Red Ensign, which served as its flag for about 100 years.

The leaf itself is older than the flag by two centuries. French Canadians adopted the maple leaf as a symbol in the 1700s. It has appeared on Canadian uniforms and insignia since the 1850s, and it is carved into the headstones of Canadian soldiers who fell abroad. The guide calls it Canada's best-known symbol.

The beaver got there through business. Centuries ago it was the symbol of the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1834 the St. Jean Baptiste Society made it its emblem, and today it sits on the five-cent coin in every Canadian pocket.

The fleur-de-lys is the oldest symbol in the chapter by a long way. The lily flower was adopted by the king of France in the year 496 and stood for French royalty for more than 1,000 years. It crossed the Atlantic with the first French settlers, and in 1948 Quebec adopted its own flag, based on the Cross and the fleur-de-lys.

Canada adopted its coat of arms after the First World War. It gathers the symbols of England, France, Scotland and Ireland together with red maple leaves. Below it runs the motto A MARI USQUE AD MARE, Latin for from sea to sea.

English and French close the group. They are the two official languages, and the guide treats them as important symbols of Canadian identity because Anglophones and Francophones have lived together here for more than 300 years.

The Parliament Buildings in Ottawa were completed in the 1860s in the Gothic Revival style. In 1916 fire destroyed the Centre Block. It was rebuilt by 1922, and in 1927 the Peace Tower was completed in memory of the First World War.

Inside the tower is the Memorial Chamber, which holds the Books of Remembrance. Those books carry the names of the Canadians who died serving in wars or on duty.

The country honours individual bravery with the Victoria Cross, the highest honour available to Canadians, awarded for the most conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy. Ninety-six Canadians have received it since 1854. Alexander Roberts Dunn of Toronto was the first, for the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava in 1854. William Hall of Horton, Nova Scotia, son of American slaves, was the first Black man to receive it, for the Siege of Lucknow in 1857. Filip Konowal, born in Ukraine, earned his at Hill 70 in 1917 and was the first member of the Canadian Corps born outside the British Empire to receive it. Billy Bishop of Owen Sound, Ontario, was a flying ace of the First World War who later became an honorary Air Marshal. Paul Triquet of Cabano, Quebec, received his at Casa Berardi in Italy in 1943. Robert Hampton Gray of Trail, British Columbia, a navy pilot, was killed in August 1945 sinking a Japanese warship.

Hockey is the national winter sport and the most popular spectator sport in the country. It developed in Canada in the 1800s. The trophy that every professional team plays for, the Stanley Cup, was donated in 1892 by Lord Stanley, then Governor General.

Summer belongs to lacrosse, an ancient sport first played by Aboriginal peoples and now the official summer sport. Canadian football is the second most popular sport, curling arrived with Scottish pioneers, and soccer has more registered players than any other game in Canada.

You will hear O Canada before most of those games. It was first sung in Québec City in 1880 and was proclaimed the national anthem in 1980, a full century later. Newcomers usually learn it by singing along at a rink or a ceremony long before they sit down with the words.

The year opens with New Year's Day on January 1 and, ten days later, Sir John A. Macdonald Day on January 11. Spring brings Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday, the Monday after it. Vimy Day falls on April 9. Victoria Day is the Monday preceding May 25.

Summer holds two big ones. The Fête nationale in Quebec falls on June 24, and Canada Day follows on July 1. Labour Day closes the season on the first Monday of September. Two dates here catch people out on the test: Vimy Day in April and the Fête nationale in June are both in the official table, and both are easy to skip while reading.

Autumn and winter finish the list. Thanksgiving Day is the second Monday of October. Remembrance Day falls on November 11, and Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day on November 20. Christmas Day is December 25 and Boxing Day is December 26.