- 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.
School of Nursing of the University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario
Registration of Arms
March 20, 2026
Vol. VIII, p. 484
Click on each image to enlarge. The blazon and symbolism for each element will accompany the enlarged image.
Blazon
Arms
Azure semé of spur rowels of six points Or, an antique lamp Argent enflamed Gules;
* The painting provided by the College of Arms shows the lamp enflamed proper rather than Gules;
Crest
A pelican in her piety proper collared per pale Azure and Or all between two spur rowels of six points Azure;
Motto
ALIIS SUBVENTUROS DOCEMUS;
Symbolism
Arms
The lamp has been a widely recognized symbol of the nursing profession since the famous nursing service of Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War in the 1850s. The spur rowels are taken from the arms of Eugène de Mazenod, the French bishop who founded the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the religious order that established the University of Ottawa and its school of nursing.
Crest
The image of a pelican feeding its own blood to its young is a symbol of self-sacrifice, representing the compassion nurses show to others. The pelican with its collar in the school’s colours echoes the similarly adorned pelican that appears in the crest of the university’s Faculty of Medicine. The spur rowels repeat the symbolism of the Arms.
Motto
This Latin phrase means “We teach people who in turn will help others.”
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 Jean-Jacques Louis Lussier, assisted by the heralds of the College of Arms, London.
Painter
Artist of the College of Arms, London / Artiste du Collège d’armes, Londres
Calligrapher
* Not applicable / Sans objet
Recipient Information
Civil Institution
Educational
The recipient’s emblems were originally recorded at the College of Arms, London, England, 15 January 1975.