Canada:The Remembrance Poppy

On 29 October 2021, Canada Post released a poignant stamp to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the official adoption of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance in Canada. The release coincides with the launch of The Royal Canadian Legion’s 2021 National Poppy* Campaign, which begins the last Friday of October each year.

Celebrating its 100th Anniversary as a symbol of remembrance in Canada, the bright red poppy that once thrived on the battlefields of Europe has become one of our most evocative and enduring emblems.

Issue Description
Canada Post has a long history of commemorating Remembrance Day and Canada's military history through its stamp program. The Legion's annual campaign is a highly visible way for Canadians to honour veterans and those who have fallen in Canada’s military.

The significance of the poppy is said to date back to the Napoleonic Wars in Europe - when the battlefields and resting sites of many fallen soldiers were enriched with lime from rubble. The chalky soil enabled the poppy (Papaver rhoeas) to thrive before the lime was absorbed.

During the First World War, the appearance of the bright red flowers on the battlefields in France and Belgium inspired Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae of Guelph, Ontario, to pen the poem "In Flanders Fields" in May 1915, after he lost a friend in the Second Battle of Ypres. Moved by his words, a number of women and charities began to create poppies made of fabric as a memorial and to raise funds for veterans and families of the fallen.

The Great War Veterans' Association of Canada (the Legion's predecessor) officially adopted the poppy as a symbol of remembrance on July 6, 1921. Canada’s first National Poppy Campaign launched later that year.

Millions of Canadians show respect and honour for veterans and fallen soldiers during the annual campaign, held in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day (November 11), by wearing a poppy. Poppies are also often worn at veterans’ funerals and other commemorative events.

Stamp
The poppy’s red ink was created specially to match the crimson of the poppy, while metallic ink was used for the pinhead. A stark white background provided the contrast that makes the image pop.

First Day Cover
The Official First Day Cover features the stamp, set against a crimson red background, and its cancellation mark.

The mark includes the number "100" as a nod to the poppy's centennial as Canada's official flower of remembrance.

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