New Brunswick (NB) - Facts, Flags and Symbols


Capital:

Fredericton

Population (2010 estimate): [i]

750,658

Motto on Licence Plate:

New/Nouveau Brunswick

Flag: [ii]

Royal Warrant of Queen Victoria, May 26, 1868, assigning arms and banner flag design proclaimed by the Lieutenant Governor, February 24, 1965

Flag of New Brunswick

Arms: [iii]

Royal Warrant of Queen Victoria, May 26, 1868
Gazetted, November 16, 1869
Augmented by crest and motto by Order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council, 1966
Augmented by supporters by Royal Warrant of Queen Elizabeth II, September 24, 1984
Gazetted, February 8, 1985

Coat of Arms for New Brunswick

Date Entered Confederation: [iv]

New Brunswick entered Confederation as part of the British North America Act in March 1867. July 1, 1867, was an official holiday in New Brunswick, though not everyone was in a festive mood-feelings toward Confederation were mixed. In Saint John, the Volunteer Artillery fired a 21-gun salute to mark the beginning of the new dominion, and an impromptu gathering of several thousand people paraded through the city streets. As the parade passed through an anti-Confederation neighbourhood, street fights broke out, and according to one newspaper report, “several members of the party were obliged to go home to have their heads bandaged.”

Flower:

Purple Violet

New Brunswick adopted the purple violet (Viola palmata, var, cucullata) as its official flower in 1936. The Women’s Institutes, the Lieutenant Governor and, finally, the province’s schoolchildren helped make this choice.

Picture of purple violet flower

Bird:

Black-Capped Chickadee

New Brunswick adopted the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) as its official bird in August 1983, based on a contest run by the provincial federation of naturalists. The small and easily recognized bird is energetic and acrobatic. Its distinctive song is often heard throughout the year, while another high-pitched song is sung to welcome spring.

Picture of black-capped chickadee

Tree:

Balsam Fir

The province adopted the balsam fir (Abies balsamia) as its official tree on May 1, 1987. The balsam fir is best recognized as a Christmas tree. It can grow up to 20 metres (65 feet) high and is a staple of the province’s lumber industry, as the unusually long wood fibres are perfect for making high-quality paper.

Picture of balsam fir tree

Footnotes

  1. [i] Statistics Canada - Quarterly demographic estimates, 2010
    http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/100325/t100325a2-eng.htm
    [back to note i]
  2. [ii] Canadian Heritage - Canadian Anthems and Symbols
    http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1266258105305/1266214672512
    [back to note ii]
  3. [iii] Canadian Heritage - Canadian Anthems and Symbols
    http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1266258105305/1266214672512
    [back to note iii]
  4. [iv] Library and Archives Canada - Canadian Confederation
    http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/confederation/index-e.html
    [back to note iv]
Outline map of New Brunswick

 

Page details

Date modified: