- The Governor General of Canada
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Gordon Douglas Fenton
New York, New York, United States of America
Grant of Arms, Flag and Badge
May 15, 2007
Vol. V, p. 141
Click on each image to enlarge. The blazon and symbolism for each element will accompany the enlarged image.
Blazon
Crest
A turtle tergiant per pale Gules and Azure between two poplar branches Or;
Flag
Or a turtle tergiant Gules, the hoist Azure charged with three poplar leaves Or;
Arms
Per saltire Gules and Azure, a saltire Argent between in chief a fleur-de-lis, in base a jack pine tree, and in the flanks two beavers couchant respectant Or;
Motto
(In Cree)
Badge
A turtle tergiant Gules on a Canterbury cross Or;
Symbolism
Crest
The turtle is a symbol with totemic value to Fr. Fenton and also refers to his Cree heritage. It is symbolic of the value of self-containment and of the innate capacity of the soul to plumb the depths of the spirit.
Flag
The symbolism of this emblem is found in other element(s) of this record.
Arms
The colours allude to Fr. Fenton’s Scottish, Norwegian and English ancestry, and the white saltire cross indicates St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland and thus his Scottish heritage. The beavers represent his ancestors’ association with the Hudson’s Bay Company. Their posture facing one another suggests dialogue and participation in the community. The fleur-de-lis is a symbol often found on other Fenton arms; it also signifies a catholic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The jack pine refers to his late father’s work as a logger and to Fr. Fenton’s keen sense of respect for the environment.
Motto
Meaning “In Truth, freedom”, this phrase is based on John 8:32, “The truth shall make you free”. The use of Cree pays tribute both to Fr. Fenton’s ancestry and to his parish ministry in the 1980s in the Diocese of Keewatin in northwestern Ontario.
Badge
The Canterbury cross indicates that Fr. Fenton is an Anglican priest, and the addition of it to the turtle motif – with its personal associations and a tangential invocation of Native spirituality – celebrates both the catholicity and the fundamental unity of Fr. Fenton’s own world view.
Background
Canada Gazette Information
The announcement of the Letters Patent was made on October 6, 2007, in Volume 141, page 2826 of the Canada Gazette.
Artist Information
Creator(s)
Original concept of Bruce Patterson, Saguenay Herald, assisted by the heralds of the Canadian Heraldic Authority.
Painter
Robert Grey
Calligrapher
Nancy Ellis
Recipient Information
Individual