Great Seal of Canada
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The Great Seal of Canada is a seal used for official purposes of state in Canada such as the certification of Acts of Parliament.
The first Great Seal of Canada was carved in England in 1869 and sent to Canada to replace a temporary seal which had been used since Canadian confederation in 1867. It depicted Queen Victoria seated behind a canopy. New seals are prepared whenever a new monarch takes the throne. The current Great Seal was made at the Royal Canadian Mint when Queen Elizabeth II succeeded her father and went into use in 1955. The seal is made of specially tempered steel, weighs 3.75 kilograms and is 12.7 centimetres in diameter. The image represents the Queen enthroned and robed, holding the orb and sceptre and shows her sitting on the coronation chair with the Royal Arms of Canada in front, and is incribed "Reine du Canada - Elizabeth II - Queen of Canada". The inscriptions on it are in French and English. Previous Great Seals of Canada were inscribed in latin.
The Governor General of Canada is the official keeper of the great seal. Each Canadian province also has its own seal for official purposes.
See also: Monarchy in Canada, and Great Seals