- The Governor General of Canada
The contents of this Register are intended for research purposes only. The heraldic emblems found in the Register may not be reproduced in any form or in any media without the written consent of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and/or the recipient.
Jean Delisle
Gatineau, Quebec
Grant of Arms and a Flag
February 15, 2018
Vol. VII, p. 54
Click on each image to enlarge. The blazon and symbolism for each element will accompany the enlarged image.
Blazon
Arms
Per pale Argent and Gules on a saltire a bendlet and a bendlet sinister in saltire interlaced with three annulets in bend all counterchanged;
Crest
A plate charged with the Sumerian symbol for “language” Sable palewise within a bordure per saltire Gules and Argent;
Motto
LABOR OMNIA VINCIT;
Flag
A banner of the Arms;
Symbolism
Arms
The saltire evokes an hourglass as well as the spokes of a wheel, symbols of time and movement, both of which convey Dr. Delisle’s interest in history, genealogy and translation. The saltire also symbolizes the Roman numeral X and thus indicates that he is the tenth generation of his family in Canada. Red and white are the colours of the Royal Society of Canada, of which he is a Fellow. The use of alternating colours on either side of the division line alludes to his work in the field of translation, an activity that involves a shift from one side of a linguistic divide to another. The three rings represent his children, Christian, Isabelle and Jean-Philippe. The interlaced diagonal strips, similar to the warp and weft of a fabric, refer to the texts on which Dr. Delisle has laboured as a translator, academic and author, the word “text” originating in the Latin term for weaving.
Crest
The central symbol corresponds to the logogram – placed vertically – meaning “language” in Sumerian, the oldest known written language. Its shape evokes the heritage baldachin in the church of Neuville, near Quebec City, where the first ancestor of the Delisle family in New France settled in 1669. The edging of red and white segments refers to the insignia of a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Motto
This Latin phrase means “Work conquers all.”
Flag
The symbolism of this emblem is found in other element(s) of this record.
Background
Canada Gazette Information
The announcement of the Letters Patent was made on November 17, 2018, in Volume 152, page 3857 of the Canada Gazette.
Artist Information
Creator(s)
Original concept of Samy Khalid, Saguenay Herald, assisted by the heralds of the Canadian Heraldic Authority.
Painter
Desirée Kern
Calligrapher
Kathy Feig
Recipient Information
Individual