Ottawa - Canada Post will honour the legacy of Grand Chief Membertou of the Mi'kmaq district Kespukwitk* with a commemorative stamp to be issued July 26. Membertou was able to forge enduring ties with French settlers at Port-Royal.
Membertou and his followers established a mutually beneficial relationship between France and the Mi'kmaq that would remain unbroken until the end of the French rule in Acadia in 1793. Since his death on September 18, 1611, Membertou's place in the memory of the descendants of the French settlers has reached mythical proportions. Many believe that Membertou was in part responsible for the survival of the permanent settlement of the French in what is now known as Eastern Canada.
With no visuals of Membertou to work from, illustrator Suzanne Duranceau created his likeness based on written descriptions and documents. The wigwam that stands before the Port Royal settlement in the background recalls Membertou and his tribe's presence in front of the French settlement to supervise and protect it during the absence of the Europeans.
Designers Réjean Myette and François Martin went further with the design of this stamp than has been done with the other stamps in the series by printing the entire stamp only in engraving. Because of this, the designers had to choose colours that blended well together.
Design, photography and photomontage were entrusted to Fugazi, who also created previous stamps in the five-issue series. Suzanne Duranceau's illustration was given to engraver Jorge Peral, a craftsman of international renown who is behind many of Canada Post's detailed stamps. The Canadian Bank Note company printed four million of the commemorative domestic-rate stamps, each measuring 39.7 mm x 40 mm (vertical). The stamps will be available in panes of 16 stamps, printed on Tullis Russell paper, using lithography in 1 colour plus 3 intaglios. General tagged on all four sides, the stamps have 13+ perforations and are backed with P.V.A. type gum.
The Official First Day Cover cancellation will read Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.
Additional information about Canadian stamps can be found in the Newsroom section of Canada Post's website, and downloadable high-resolution photos of these new stamps are in the Newsroom's Photo Centre. Stamps and Official First Day Covers will be available at participating post offices, or can be ordered online by following the links at Canada Post's website www.canadapost.ca, or by mail order from the National Philatelic Centre. From Canada and the USA, call toll-free: 1-800-565-4362, and from other countries, call: 902 863-6550.
* = meaning "lands end", and is now known as southern Nova Scotia
