Recently, there was an article in University Affairs about heraldry that described the history and symbolism associated with the coats of arms of a few Canadian universities.^[1] While Laurentian’s coat of arms was shown and mentioned briefly, its features were not explained in any detail. This omission piqued my interest and spurred a little investigation.

It turns out that there is a Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA), headed by the Governor General of Canada, that is responsible for administering coats of arms and related symbols in this country. They also maintain a registry that explains the symbolic meaning of the various features. Continue reading →