A treasured national symbol.
The distinctive shape of the red maple leaf immediately says, “Canada” to people around the world. Its use as a symbol for all that is Canadian dates back centuries, but historians generally recognize 1836 as the year when the maple leaf earned its status as an official national emblem. The founding cultures had their fleur-de-lis (France), roses (England), thistles (Scotland) and shamrocks (Ireland). With the maple leaf, immigrants and native-born Canadians alike could express their pride in their promising new home.

Throughout the 19th century, the maple leaf was quickly popularized in print and song. Provincial flags, shields and coats of arms seemed incomplete without it. From 1876 to 1901, the maple leaf was a fixture on virtually every Canadian circulation coin. It became the centrepiece of Canada’s one-cent coin that has been in circulation since 1937.