- The Governor General of Canada
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Michael Geoffrey Hassell
Toronto, Ontario
Grant of Arms
August 15, 2014
Vol. VI, p. 442
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Blazon
Arms
Bendy enarched Argent and Azure three pikes fretted proper;
Crest
A great gray owl displayed proper holding in its talons a serpent nowed Azure;
Motto
VINCIT VERITAS;
Symbolism
Arms
The colours and curved lines represent the striking cobalt waters and the gentle ripples of Georgian Bay, in Ontario, where Mr. Hassell’s family owns a cottage on Nares Inlet. The pikes, which are abundant in the area, are shown interlaced in a position of equilibrium, representing Mr. Hassell’s work in promoting Ontario’s Human Rights Code and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in his law practice. They also embody the ideal of paying it forward and giving back to one’s community and country.
Crest
The owl is a symbol of wisdom, an important virtue in Mr. Hassell’s line of work. It holds a snake, coiled in a knot reminiscent of the symbol of infinity, to show the unending battle between good and evil, and wisdom conquering ignorance, as well as justice conquering inequality and discrimination.
Motto
This Latin phrase means “Truth conquers”.