The Crown in Saskatchewan

The Shield of Arms of the Province of Saskatchewan

The Coat of Arms of the Province of Saskatchewan

The Official Flag of the Province of Saskatchewan

The Official Tartan of the Province of Saskatchewan

Royal Designation by the Crown in Saskatchewan

THE SHIELD OF ARMS OF THE PROVINCE OF SASKATCHEWAN

By Royal Warrant of August 25, 1906, King Edward VII granted Saskatchewan its first official emblem; a shield of arms, displaying a red lion (a traditional royal symbol) on a horizontal gold band across the upper third of the shield and three gold wheat sheaves on a green background (symbolizing Saskatchewan's agriculture and resources) on the lower two-thirds.

THE COAT OF ARMS OF THE PROVINCE OF SASKATCHEWAN

In 1986, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II granted a full coat of arms to Saskatchewan. On September 16 of that year, Governor General Jeanne Sauvé signed the Royal Warrant for the new armorial bearings on behalf of Her Majesty at a ceremony in the Legislative Chamber. On the same occasion, Lieutenant Governor F.W. Johnson signed a Royal Proclamation bringing the new coat of arms into official use.

The top of the shield of arms features a red lion, a traditional royal symbol, on a horizontal gold band; the middle and lower parts of the shield feature three gold wheat sheaves on a green background, symbolizing Saskatchewan's agriculture and resources.

The shield is supported by a royal lion and a white-tailed deer, an animal indigenous to Saskatchewan. Both supporters wear collars of Prairie Indian beadwork. From each collar hangs a badge in the form of the six pointed star (stylized lily) of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. The badge worn by the lion displays Canada's emblem, the maple leaf, while the badge worn by the deer displays Saskatchewan's official flower, the western red lily.

Immediately above the shield is a helmet, which represents Saskatchewan's co-sovereign status within the Confederation. The helmet is decorated with mantling in Canada's national colours - red and white. Above the helmet is a wreath which supports a beave - Canada's national animal. The beaver represents the North, the fur trade and the province's native people. The beaver holds a western red lily, the floral emblem of the province. The Crown, a symbol of Saskatchewan's direct link with the Sovereign through the Lieutenant Governor, surmounts the beaver at the top of the coat of arms.

Below the shield is a compartment of western red lilies, slipped and leaved, supporting a scroll with the provincial motto MULTIS E GENTIBUS VIRES; Latin for "From Many Peoples Strength." The motto expresses Saskatchewan's multicultural heritage, the contribution of the Indian and Native cultures, and the key role of immigration in the province. The root meaning of the Latin gens (from gentibus is derived) is "people" in the sense of race or origin. The word vires connotes vigour, energy and mental strength. The Latin rendering was suggested by the words of a poem by the Roman poet Catullus.

THE OFFICIAL FLAG OF THE PROVINCE OF SASKATCHEWAN

Saskatchewan's flag was adopted by the province's legislative assembly and proclaimed by the Lieutenant Governor, The Honourable Robert L. Hanbidge in 1969. The flag is divided horizontally into two equal parts; one green, the other gold. The green represents the northern forests of the province and the gold symbolizes the southern grain fields. The Saskatchewan shield of arms, granted in 1906 under King Edward VII is in the upper left quarter of the flag near the staff. The provincial floral emblem, the western red lily, is positioned on the fly half of the flag. The flag is based on a design by Anthony Drake, whose submission was chosen in a provincial design competition. The flag's proportions are two by length and one by width.

THE OFFICIAL TARTAN OF THE PROVINCE OF SASKATCHEWAN

Saskatchewan's official tartan, registered at the Court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms of Scotland, 1961, was designed by Mrs. Frank L. Bastedo, the wife of a former lieutenant governor. The tartan has seven colours with gold representing prairie wheat; brown for summerfallow; green for the forests; red for the prairie lily; yellow for canola and sunflower; white for snow and black for oil and coal.

THE GREAT SEAL OF SASKATCHEWAN

Interim Great Seal of the Province of Saskatchewan, 1905

The First Great Seal of Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan Act of 1905, establishing the Province of Saskatchewan, authorized the Lieutenant Governor to "adopt and provide a Great Seal" and to change it when required. The shield of arms appeared on the first Great Seal of Saskatchewan, which was authorized by order-in-council on November 26, 1906, and came into use on December 1 of that year. This Great Seal was in continuous use for eighty-five years, until replaced in 1991.

The Great Seal of Saskatchewan of 1991

By order-in-council of May 7, 1991, the Government of Saskatchewan authorized a new Great Seal incorporating the coat of arms. Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Fedoruk brought this Great Seal into use by Royal Proclamation on November 1, 1991. In the centre of the 1991 Great Seal is the coat of arms of the Province of Saskatchewan. In 1991, Saskatchewan adopted the historic practice of incorporating the name of the reigning monarch on the Great Seal. Surrounding the coat of arms is the legend "Elizabeth II Queen of Canada, The Great Seal of the Province of Saskatchewan." The Great Seal is thus the official seal of the monarch in right of Saskatchewan and the ultimate symbol of authority and sovereignty in the province. At the installation of the Lieutenant Governor, the monarch's representative symbolically entrusts the Great Seal to the safekeeping of the Provincial Secretary. The Great Seal is imprinted on proclamations, letters patent, and other significant state documents signed by the Lieutenant Governor in the name of the Sovereign. It is normally impressed on an adhesive red wafer affixed to the document concerned. In time, a new Great Seal of Saskatchewan will be made to reflect our new monarch, King Charles III.

"The Crown is an important symbol of our identity and untiy as Canadians."

-- Honourble Joanne Crofford, Saskatchewan MLA February 2002

ROYAL DESIGNATION BY THE CROWN IN SASKATCHEWAN

Royal Canadian Air Cadets

Royal Designation by Queen Elizabeth II

Date of Royal Designation - 1953

Royal Canadian Legion

Royal Designation by Queen Elizabeth II

Date of Royal Designation - 1962

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Royal Designation by King Edward VII

Date of Royal Designation - 1904 (previously the North West Mounted Police; became the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1920)

Royal Regina Golf Club

Royal Designation by Queen Elizabeth II

Date of Royal Designation - 1999 (only five courses in Canada to receive this honour)

Royal Regina Rifles

Royal Designation by Queen Elizabeth II

Date of Royal Designation - 1982

Royal Saskatchewan Museum

Royal Designation by Queen Elizabeth II

Date of Royal Designation - 1993 (previously the Saskatchewan Museum of Natural History)

Royal United Services Institute

Royal Designation by Queen Elizabeth II

Date of Royal Designation - 1979

Royal University Hospital

Royal Designation by Queen Elizabeth II

Date of Royal Designation - 1990

WHAT DO ROYAL VISITS MEAN TO CANADIANS?

The personal presence of the Queen and members of the Royal Family through the royal visits remind Canadians of their heritage and connection to the monarchy. Royal visits serve as a reminder that our citizens are united at a level that transcends ethnic or partisan differences.

-- J.E.N. Weibe Interpretive Centre, Government House, Regina

ROYAL VISITS TO SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN

Summer 1882                Princess Louise & The Marquis of Lorne

Autumn 1901                 The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York

Spring 1906                   Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught

Autumn 1912                  Duke and Duchess of Connaught & Princess Patricia

Summer 1916                Duke and Duchess of Connaught & Princess Patricia

Autumn 1919                  The Prince of Wales

Summer 1927                The Prince of Wales and Prince George

Spring 1939                    King George VI and Queen Elizabeth

Spring/Summer 1941    Princess Alice and the Earl of Athlone

Autumn 1951                  Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh

Summer 1959                Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh

Spring 1966                    Lord Louis Mountbatten

Summer 1967                 Princess Alexandra and the Honourable Angus Ogilvy

Summer 1973                 Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh

Autumn 1977                   The Duke of Edinburgh

Summer 1978                 Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Edward

Summer 1982                 The Princess Royal

Summer 1985                 The Queen Mother

Summer 1987                 The Duke of Edinburgh

Autumn 1987                   Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh

Summer 1989                 The Duke and Duchess of York

Summer 1994                 The Earl of Wessex

Spring 2001                     The Prince of Wales

Summer 2003                  The Earl of Wessex

Summer 2004                  The Princess Royal

Spring 2005                     Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh

Did You Know.....

He's the King of Canada and the United Kingdom! Not to mention many other countries in the Commonwealth.
The trial division of the Superior Courts in Saskatchewan is called the Court of King's Bench.
Regina means Queen City.
Publicly owned land is known as Crown land.
The Lieutenant Governor gives the Speech from the Throne at the opening of the legislative session.
When Canada Dry Ginger Ale was prestigiously appointed to the Royal Household of the Governor General of Canada (c.1907), the beaver on the label was replaced by the crown and shield.
Publicly owned companies are known as Crown Corporations

The Crown is a Part of Our Lives!

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