May 31, 2006
Washington -- Next year, Canada will celebrate the 150th anniversary of its capital city, the 100th anniversary of our largest and most northerly national park, participate in International Polar Year projects and host the FIFA World Youth Championships -- events that will each be recognized and celebrated on Canadian postage stamps.
The Canadian stamp program for 2007 will begin on January 5 with stamps celebrating the Year of the Pig -- the 11th year the post office has issued a stamp for the Lunar New Year. A second celebration stamp, following last year's ballooning birthday design, will be issued mid-January. Recognizing Canadian hardiness, Canada Post will issue a stamp commemorating the international polar research community's 125th anniversary of the first International Polar Year in February.
The spring season gets its bloom on with a stamp issue on March 1 featuring everyone's favourite fragrant spring bloom -- lilacs. Other spring issues include the next instalment in the Arts Canada set (Mary Pratt), a stamp celebrating the 100th anniversary of the University of Saskatchewan and four stamps featuring endangered species. The 150th anniversary of the selection of Ottawa as Canada's capital city will be commemorated with a new stamp on May 3 (just in time for the tulip festival!). The East and West Coast will be showcased in June with stamps honouring the golden anniversary of the founding of Terra Nova National Park -- where long fingers of the North Atlantic Ocean touch the island boreal forest of Eastern Newfoundland -- and the 250th birthday of Captain George Vancouver -- the man the City of Vancouver is named after.
The month of July will see Canadians posting their vacation mail with a stamp honouring the centennial of Jasper National Park, or with the fourth in a series of five stamps devoted to French settlement of what would later become Canada -- a stamp honouring Chief Membertou -- or with a stamp showcasing Canada's hosting duties for the FIFA World Youth Championships. The celebration of 100 years of Scouting in Canada will be recognized with a stamp in August.
The fall will bring an orderly progression of stamps celebrating the 100th anniversaries of the Law Societies of Saskatchewan and Alberta and 100 years of higher learning at HEC Montréal. There are more than 10 quintillion insects in the world and in October 2007, millions of them will infest post offices across Canada when new low-value definitives featuring beneficial insects are issued for Stamp Collecting Month! This activity is celebrated around the world as an opportunity to issue stamps of particular interest to youth, and we're sure young philatelists and entomologists will buzz with enthusiasm over these stamps. The 2007 program will close with a stamp honouring the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the ever-popular Christmas issues, which in 2007 will feature reindeer and imagery symbolizing Christmas wishes for Peace, Joy and Hope.
There's a subject that's sure to please every one in the 2007 stamp program. With stamps honouring a wide range of Canadian events, people, organizations, sports and accomplishments -- this is a program that is incredibly Canadian!
Canada Post receives thousands of stamp suggestions every year. The Stamp Advisory Committee, consisting of people from across Canada with an expertise in Canadian culture, history and/or philately, examine all suggestions and then settle on the annual stamp program. The program is then approved by Canada Post's Board of Directors.
Further details of the 2007 Stamp Program, along with any changes or additions to the program, will be available in separate announcements for each issue. Additional information about Canadian stamps can be found in the Newsroom section of Canada Post's website.
Media requiring further information should contact:
Cindy Daoust
cindy.daoust@canadapost.ca (613) 734-4258
