- 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.
Bennie Liam James McKonnon
Bayham, Ontario
Confirmation of Arms, Flag and Badge
January 15, 2026
Vol. VIII, p. 469
Click on each image to enlarge. The blazon and symbolism for each element will accompany the enlarged image.
Blazon
Flag
A banner of the Arms;
Badge
A buckskin horse’s head erased proper environed by two oak branches their stems in saltire Or;
Arms
Per fess Azure and Gules six chamomile flowers in annulus proper;
Crest
A demi-bear Or playing a harp proper and issuant from a coronet Gules of prairie crocuses and western red lilies proper;
Motto
STRENGTH IS MY INHERITANCE;
Symbolism
Flag
The symbolism of this emblem is found in other element(s) of this record.
Badge
The horse epitomizes the idea of travel for Mr. McKonnon, reminding him of his own journeys. Oak is traditionally associated with strength and endurance, two qualities demonstrated by his ancestors when they travelled to Canada.
Arms
The chamomile is the state flower of Russia and refers to the family’s origin in the then-Russian Empire. The six flowers represent Mr. McKonnon and his five sisters, as well as their unity. Blue is the colour of the arms of Ekaterinoslav, the province in what is now Ukraine where the family lived. As one of the main colours of Canada, red represents the family’s integration in their new homeland.
Crest
For Mr. McKonnon, the bear is an iconic Canadian creature that is a reminder of his family’s roots in Ontario. To him, the harp represents spiritual healing and faith in God, therefore serving as an important symbol of his Christian heritage and Mennonite faith. The prairie crocus and the western red lily are the provincial flowers of Manitoba and Saskatchewan and therefore embody the home provinces of his mother and father respectively. More generally, they also allude to the regions where his ancestors first settled when they immigrated to Canada.
Motto
This phrase expresses the determination that Mr. McKonnon’s ancestors displayed in their journey to find a home free from discrimination.
Background
Canada Gazette Information
The announcement of the Letters Patent was made on January 1, 1900, in Volume 0, page 0 of the Canada Gazette.
Artist Information
Creator(s)
Original concept of Darrel Kennedy, Assiniboine Herald, and Alix Chartrand, Saguenay Herald, assisted by the heralds of the Canadian Heraldic Authority.
Painter
Ilona Jurkiewicz
Calligrapher
Luc Saucier
Recipient Information
Individual
The recipient’s emblems were originally assigned to him under the name of Ben Guenther Rempel as recorded in the Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada, Volume VIII, page 138, 20 January 2023.