What is the role of the Canadian Heraldic Authority?

The Canadian Heraldic Authority is the office within the Office of the Governor General that grants coats of arms, flags, and badges to Canadian citizens, corporations, municipalities, government agencies, military units, and Indigenous nations. It was established by Queen Elizabeth II by Letters Patent on June 4, 1988, making Canada the only Commonwealth realm with its own independent national heraldic authority outside the United Kingdom.

Before 1988 Canadians had to apply to the College of Arms in London or the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh for a personal or corporate grant of arms. These applications could take years and required payment in pounds sterling. The 1988 establishment brought Canadian heraldic practice home and made grants available to all Canadians regardless of religion, sex, language, or ancestry, with a special procedure to honour Indigenous symbolic traditions.

The Authority is led by the Chief Herald of Canada (a senior position based at Rideau Hall) and includes named pursuivants and heralds: the Saint-Laurent Herald, Fraser Herald, Athabaska Herald, Saguenay Herald, and Miramichi Herald. The Authority also employs heraldic artists who hand-paint each grant in the medieval tradition, and researchers who verify the symbols proposed do not duplicate existing ones. Each grant is signed by the Governor General under the prerogative of the King.

The Authority maintains the Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada, freely searchable online at the Office of the Governor General website. As of 2024 the Register contains more than 7,000 grants. Notable Canadian arms granted by the Authority include those of the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's modern badge, the Six Nations of the Grand River, the City of Iqaluit, the Order of Canada (heraldic flag), and individuals from Tommy Douglas (posthumous) to Wayne Gretzky.