The Viceregal Lion
  1. The Governor General of Canada
Heraldry Today

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.

Province of Saskatchewan

Regina, Saskatchewan
Registration of Arms and Supporters
September 6, 1995
Vol. III, p. 34

Click on each image to enlarge. The blazon and symbolism for each element will accompany the enlarged image.


Blazon

Arms

Vert three garbs in fesse Or on a chief Or a lion passant guardant Gules armed and langued Azure;

Crest

A beaver upholding with its back the Royal Crown and holding in the dexter foreclaw a Western Red Lily (Lilium philadelphicum andinum) slipped all proper;

Supporters

Dexter a lion Or gorged with a collar of Prairie Indigenous beadwork proper and dependant therefrom a six-pointed mullet faceted Argent fimbriated and garnished Or charged with a maple leaf Gules and sinister a White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) proper gorged with a like collar and dependant therefrom a like mullet charged with a Western Red Lily slipped and leaved proper; the supporters standing on a scroll entwined with Western Red Lilies slipped and leaved proper inscribed with the Motto;

Motto

MULTIS E GENTIBUS VIRES;


Symbolism

Arms

The lion is a royal symbol and the wheat sheaves recognize Saskatchewan’s core industry, agriculture. The colours are representative of the natural elements typical to the province: yellow for wheat, green for forests and grass, and red for the western red lily and prairie fires.

Crest

The Royal Crown is a symbol of the Sovereign and indicates Saskatchewan’s status within Confederation. The beaver is symbolic of the Canadian North, the fur trade and the province’s aboriginal population. It holds a western red lily, the provincial floral emblem.

Supporters

The lion repeats the reference to the Sovereign, and the white-tailed deer, the provincial animal emblem. They wear collars of Prairie Indigenous beadwork in recognition of the First Nation inhabitants of the province. The star-shaped pendants worn by the supporters are in the form of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. The maple leaf that hangs from the lion’s collar alludes to Canada and the western lily worn by the deer refers to Saskatchewan. The western lilies upon which the lion and deer stand continue the reference to the province.

Motto

This Latin sentence means “From many peoples, strength”, and expresses the ethnic diversity of Saskatchewan’s population.


Background

Canada Gazette Information

The announcement of the Letters Patent was made on March 24, 2001, in Volume 135, page 936 of the Canada Gazette.


Artist Information

Creator(s)
Not applicable

Painter
Joan Bouwmeester

Calligrapher
Joan Bouwmeester


Recipient Information

Civil Institution
Provincial & Territorial (General)

View all Letters Patent for

The recipient’s emblems were originally recorded in the records of the College of Arms, London, England, 25 Aug 1906 and 16 Sep 1986.