Coat of Arms

Coat of Arms

1. What does the motto "a mare usque ad mare" mean for Canada's Coat of Arm?

• “a mari usque ad mare" - . The phrase comes from the Latin Psalm 72:8 in the Holy Bible ("He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth"). the motto is used as a mark of authority by various government agencies and representatives.  It is also present on all denominations of Canadian paper currency, and on the cover of Canadian passports. On its own, it appears on all federal government proclamations.

2. What is BC's motto? What does BC's motto mean?

• "Spendor Sine Occasu" - one of several hand-made corrections and deletions upon the instrument; The motto is written in Latin and essentially means "splendour without diminishment" or "beauty without end”

3. On Canada's Coat of Arms, why are there 2 different flags and two different animals holding the flags?

• Supporting the shield on either side are the English lion and Scottish unicorn, which are also the supporters of the UK coat of arms; The English lion stands on the viewer's left and holds a gold-pointed silver lance flying the Union Flag. The Scottish unicorn has a gold horn, a gold mane, gold hooves, and around its neck a gold, chained coronet of crosses and fleurs-de-lis; it holds a lance flying the three gold fleurs-de-lis of royal France on a blue background.

4. What are the key symbols on BC's Coat of Arms and what do they mean?

• The Union Jack on the shield symbolizes our colonial origins. Our geographic location between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains is represented by the wavy blue and silver bars and the setting sun.
• The supporters, the stag and the ram, represent the former colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. The stag (elk) represents Vancouver Island and the ram (bighorn sheep) represents the mainland of the Province.
• The Royal Crest (the crowned lion standing on the crown), wears a collar of dogwood flowers, and sits atop the golden helmet of sovereignty. Traditional heraldic elements of a wreath and mantling represent Canada's national colours. The golden helmet of sovereignty is placed between the shield and the crest to mark B.C.'s co-sovereign status in Confederation.
• Our provincial flower, the dogwood, appears a second time entwining the Latin motto "Splendor Sine Occasu" which translates as "Splendour Without Diminishment."

5. Which Coat of Arms above do you like the most and why?

• I like the White field with blue cross and the lion because it looks kind of medieval and I like The Middle Ages.