Canada’s 2022 stamp program offers a few teasers for the coming year. The usual holiday events will be covered as well as a number of reoccurring themes. Highlights for the year will be:

• Black History month
• singers
• spring flowers
• endangered animals
• Canadians in flight
• Aboriginal leaders
• a very special hockey anniversary

One big disappointment is the lack of anything for the Lunar New Year.  2021’s stamp was actually a sheet of all twelve from the completed 12 year cycle. I guess Canada Post feels the theme has run it’s course, but 2022 will be the Year of the Tiger and well, cats. What more can I say?  If you’d like to see Year of the Tiger stamps from previous years, check out this retrospective look Where’s Canada’s Tiger Stamps? | Bitter Grounds Magazine.

Black History Month

2022 will start with the annual Black History stamp. Some of the most interesting Canadian stamp designs are coming out of this series.

Jazz singer Eleanor Collins, Canada’s “first lady of jazz” will be featured.  Get a start on learning about her here Eleanor Collins | The Canadian Encyclopedia. Collins intersects with the 2021 Amber Valley set. Her parents were among the 1000 black immigrants who moved from Oklahoma to Amber Valley around 1905 (see Canada Post’s 2021 Black History month issues – Amber Valley | Bitter Grounds Magazine).  I hope the designer of the Amber Valley set, Lara Minja of Lime Design, will have a hand in this year’s stamp. 

Another influential voice will have her day. Later in the year Salome Bey, Canada’s First Lady of the Blues, will be featured. Her death last year left a huge hole in hearts of blues lovers. Bey was one of the first blues singers I was exposed to in my younger days, so I’m looking forward to this one. 

Spring has sprung

Spring brings a mixed lot from flowers to foot guards.  It’ll be a busy time for collectors, as usual. You know spring is here when Canada Post’s flower stamps hit the stores. This year they’ll be callas. 

The Governor General’s Foot Guard will be 100 in 2022 and there will have their very own stamp. And we can expect the 4th in the Canadians in Flight series. Hard to say who’ll be featured this time around. 

Also sometime in the spring, Canada Post will release a stamp encouraging Canadians to donate organs and tissues. I’m betting this one will be a semi-postal.

CAPEX 22 will be held in Toronto June 19-22, and a souvenir sheet will be issued for the event. Thankfully it’ll be held in a place that is easy to get to for public transit users. The show will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, just a short walk from Union Station. 

Random vintage stuff

We can also expect vintage carousels and 5 stamps featuring vintage travel posters from across Canada. These will be pure fun. 

Tribute to Indigenous leaders

2022 will recognize Indigenous leaders with 3 stamps. No word on who will be featured. 

Another in the long, long list of overdue tributes will Tommy Prince of the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation. His stamp will be released for Remembrance Day,  

Wildlife at risk  

Canada is a good bet for wildlife stamps each year. 2021’s Snow Mammals proved to be so popular, Canada Post re-issued them. 2022 will be endangered whales. Canada has produced a number of great whale stamps over the years, starting with the 1979 .35c Bowhead. It’ll be hard to top the 2010 $10 Blue Whale. Jorge Peral’s engraving made this a king of stamps. 

Has it really been 50 years? 

Now the stamp many will be waiting for – the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Canada-Russia Hockey Summit. This is a set you’ll have to grab early or you’ll miss your chance. It is one of those “where were you” moments in Canadian history. Given the near mythical status the series has in Canada, it will sell out quickly.  I’d recommend pre-ordering online. 

Finally 

You can look forward to the traditional Diwali, Hanukkah and Christmas stamps to round out the year. 

As 2021 wraps up, I’ll be running a poll to find the most popular Canadian stamp for the year. Take a look at all the issues from 2021 and check back in Dec vote.

Cheers for now.

Catpaw

January

Eleanor Collins – Canada’s First Lady of Jazz
series: Black History in Canada

1 stamp, FDC, cancel, booklet of 6

1st Black artist to host a TV series in in North America. An amazing person. A great Canadian. Her parents were among the original immigrants from Oklahoma who settled in Amber Valley, Alberta Canada Post’s 2021 Black History month issues – Amber Valley | Bitter Grounds Magazine.

Illustrator: David Belliveau
Designer: Paprika Design
Photographers: Franz Linder & Alvin Armstrong from CBC archives

Release date: January 21, 2022

February

Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

1 stamp, booklet of 10, FDC, cancel, sheets of 16, plate blocks

The Platinum Jubilee stamp features The Queen’s profile, which is based on a sculpture created by Arnold Machin, O.B.E., R.A, who was commissioned to create the image for a new set of definitive stamps. The image became iconic and has been used by the Royal Mail ever since.
Canada Post

Designer: Paprika Design

Release date: February 7, 2022

March

Calla – Spring Flower

2 stamps, booklet of 10, FDC, cancel, souvenir sheet 

Designer: Paprika Design
Illustrator: Fanny Roy

Release date: March 1, 2022

April

Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness

1 stamp in booklet of 10, FDC, cancel

A single organ donor can save up to eight lives, and a tissue donor can help save or improve the lives of up to 75 people. While the majority of Canadians support organ and tissue donation, fewer than one third have registered to do so. Registration usually takes minutes. Visit organtissuedonation.ca.
New stamp raises awareness of organ and tissue donation | Canada Post (canadapost-postescanada.ca)

Artist: Christopher DeLorenzo
Designer: Kristine Do

Release date: April 7, 2022

Eid 

 1 stamp in booklet of 6, FDC, cancel

Designer: Soapbox Design
Illustrator: Richard Nalli-Petta;
Illustrator background: Irene Laschi;

Release date: April 12, 2022

Salome Bey – Canada’s First Lady of the Blues

1 stamp, booklets of 6, FDC, cancel

Multi award-winning singer-songwriter, composer, producer, director, actor and mentor to upcoming artists.  

Illustrator: David Belliveau
Photographer:  Doug Griffin, courtesy of Toronto Star | Getty Images 

Release date: April 22, 2022

May

Canada’s Endangered Whales

booklet of 5, souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel, uncut press sheets

• Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) – St. Lawrence Estuary, Cumberland Sound, Ungava Bay
• Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) – Atlantic and Pacific
• Killer whale (Orcinus orca) – Southern resident in the Northeast Pacific
• North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)
• Northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus) – Scotian Shelf

Stamps raise awareness about five endangered whale populations – Magazine | Canada Post (canadapost-postescanada.ca)

Artist: David Miller
Designer: Soapbox Design

Release date: May 20, 2022

June

CAPEX 22

3 souvenir overprint sheets

Two overprint souvenir sheets will be available for this year’s CAPEX 22. 
The first sheet is from last year’s Bluenose celebration. The second sheet is this year’s Calla sheet. Both were pre-released and available from Canada Post’s online store. Bluenose, 100th Anniversary: Souvenir sheet overprint – Canada Post and  Calla: Souvenir sheet CAPEX 22 overprint – Canada Post. The third sheet is from the June 9 Vintage Travel Posters. 

This will be the 5th international stamp show since 1951, with the last one way back in 1996. The show will run from June 9, 2022 to June 12, 2022 and be accessible to those of us dependent on public transit. It’ll be held downtown Toronto, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, which is an easy stroll from Union Station Go, train and subway.

The following exhibits will be on display:

• aerophilately 
• astrophilately
• maximaphily
• modern philately
• open philately
• philatelic literature
• picture postcards
• postal history
• postal stationery
• revenue
• thematic philately
• traditional philately
• youth philately.

I’m making arrangements to go and can’t tell you how good it is to be able to get to a show without a major hassle. If you have mobility issues, the Convention Centre has escalators and elevators to make getting around easier. 

If you are unfamiliar with Toronto, and plan on coming to the show, drop me a line and I’ll talk to you about the easiest route to get there. Toronto can be big, noisy and traffic mad.  Oh and DON’T JAY WALK DOWNTOWN. Unless you want a visit to one of our lovely emergency rooms. And if you are sane DO NOT DRIVE DOWNTOWN. DON’T. Just … don’t.   

Governor Generals Foot Guards
Commemorative envelope

150th anniversary of the Governor Generals Foot Guard

Governor General’s Foot Guards Regimental Museum |

Release date: June 7, 2022

Vintage Travel Posters

5 stamps in a 10 stamp booklet, 1 capex souvenir sheet, 5 pre-stamped postcards

This series features 4 1930s and 1 1950s Canadian Pacific travel poster. These are considered iconic (and are much sought after by collectors) images  from across Canada. To accompany this set, Canada  Post has also issued 5 pre-stamped post cards and a CAPEX 22 overprint. 

The following posters have been reprinted:

• Travel The Canadian, by Roger Couillard, 1955 – This Vancouver – Toronto/Montréal transcontinental train was the first to feature the famous domed observation trains.
• Cruise the Great Lakes, after the work of Tom Purvis, circa 1937 – this stamp highlights day trips offered by CP Rail around the Great Lakes in Ontario.
• The Royal York, by Norman Fraser, circa 1935 – The Royal York Hotel, now called Fairmont Royal York, is one of Toronto’s most visible buildings. Once you get leave Union Station and step out onto the street, the first site is the Royal York. 
• Mont Tremblant, by Herbert Bayer, 1939 – This ski resort opened in 1939 and has remained a popular destination.
• Canada’s Picturesque East Coast, by Peter Ewart, circa 1950 – another classic tourist route, this time on Canada’s east coast, travelling along  St. Andrews by-the-Sea, New Brunswick; Digby, Nova Scotia; and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. 

Designer: Paprika

Release date: June 9, 2022

Indigenous Leaders – Harry Daniels, Chief Marie-Anne Day Walker-Pelletier and Jose Kusugak
Indigenous People of Canada

1 stamp, booklet of 6, FDC, cancel

Métis leader Harry Daniels  (1940-2004). 

Read press releases in Michif 220613-NR-IL-Harry-Daniels-Michif  and 220610-MA-IL-Daniels-Michif (final)

He was a writer, activist and politician who dedicated his life to helping and protecting the rights of the Métis and non-status Indians. 

One of Daniels’ most important contributions was successfully leading an effort to convince the federal government to enshrine the inherent rights of Métis and non-status Indians in the new Constitution. As a result, Métis are included, along with First Nations (named as Indians) and Inuit, as Indigenous (identified as Aboriginal) Peoples in the Constitution Act, 1982.

For Daniels, however, constitutional recognition was just a first step. Since 1867, the federal government had recognized only “status Indians” as being its jurisdictional responsibility. The provincial governments had also not claimed responsibility for Métis and non-status Indians. To this end, in 1999, Daniels and several other plaintiffs launched Daniels v. Canada to determine the federal government’s relationship with the two groups. The case was not decided until 2016, 12 years after Daniels’ death, when the Supreme Court upheld the Federal Court ruling that Métis and non-status Indians are Indians under the British North America Act, 1867, and therefore, come under the federal government’s jurisdiction. Canada Post issues commemorative stamp recognizing Métis leader Harry Daniels | Canada Post (canadapost-postescanada.ca)

________

1 stamp, booklet of 6, FDC, cancel

Inuit leader Jose Kusugak (1950-2011)

Read the press releases in Inuktut 220610-MA-IL-Kusugak-Inuktut and 220614-NR-IL-Jose-Kusugak-Inuktut

 An Inuit activist, linguist and award-winning broadcaster, Kusugak played a critical role in efforts that led to the creation of Nunavut in 1999, for which many consider him a Father of Confederation…

In 1971, he joined the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (ITC), where his natural abilities as a communicator helped in his efforts to disseminate and explain the concept of land claims to Inuit communities. To further spread the land claims message across the Arctic, Kusugak joined CBC North in 1980 as area manager for the Kivalliq region. After 10 years with CBC, he joined the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation, introducing new areas of programming in Inuktitut.

From 1994 to 2000, Kusugak was president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. The organization played a pivotal role in negotiating the land claim that created Nunavut, which became a territory on April 1, 1999. Canada Post unveils new stamp honouring Inuit leader Jose Kusugak- | Canada Post (canadapost-postescanada.ca)

——

1 stamp, booklet of 6, FDC, cancel

Chief Marie-Anne Day Walker-Pelletier Okanese First Nation in Saskatchewan

Read the press releases in Cree 220615-NR-IL-Day-Walker-Pelletier-Cree and 220613-MA-IL-Walker-Cree.

Chief Walker-Pelletier has left huge mark on the indigenous communities across Canada.  She worked tirelessly for social reform and fostering healing within First Nations communities across the country. She also championed indigenous rights, which included the right to celebrate their own cultures and languages.  Even in retirement Walker-Pelletier continues to work towards healing the generational trauma indigenous communities are dealing with.

Throughout her leadership, she fought to improve the quality of life of the Okanese and to protect the culture, rights and traditions of all First Nations people through her involvement in numerous tribal, provincial and national initiatives on social reform, health and wellness, and education. She was an advocate of many important issues including violence against women, drug abuse, economic development, housing, health and education.

A survivor of the residential school system, Day Walker-Pelletier was particularly passionate about improving the lives of women and children. In 2021, a year after she retired, her decade-long dream to reintegrate Indigenous foster children into their families culminated in the opening of the Daywalker Home Fire Family Centre. 
New stamp commemorates extraordinary leadership of Chief Marie-Anne Day Walker-Pelletier | Canada Post (canadapost-postescanada.ca)

——

1 souvenir sheet

Designer: Lime Design 

Release date: June 21, 2022 – National Indigenous Peoples Day

July

Help for Ukraine
semi postal charity stamp

1 stamp in booklet of 10, FDC, cancel

A donation of $1 from each booklet of 10 stamps (and 10 cents from the Official First Day Cover, a special collectible envelope) will provide essential aid – and hope – to those affected by the situation. Funds raised through the purchase of this stamp will be distributed through the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. This is the first time that Canada Post has issued a stamp in support of a country in need of humanitarian assistance. Canada Post May 19, 2022

Designer & photographer: Isabelle Toussaint Design This photograph and design was originally used in the 2011 February Sunflower issue. It has been repurposed for this special semi-postal. Previous designs also include the 2014 Empress of Ireland and Roses, 2013 Magnolias, 
Booklet & FDC designer: Hélène L’Heureux
Among L’Heureux’s numerous designs for Canada Post are the 2007 Lunar New Year Rooster, 2005 Art Canada: Homer Watson, 1855–1936, 2008 Yousuf Karsh set. 

Release date: July 8, 2022

Canada’s Vintage Carousels

5 stamps on souvenir sheet, booklets of 10, FDC, cancel, 5 pre-stamped postcards

From Canada Post’s July 21 news release:

Lakeside Park Carousel (Lakeside Park, St. Catharines, Ontario) 
Built by Kremer’s Carousel Works circa 1903, this impressively large carousel boasts 68 animals and four chariots in four rows – and today still costs only a nickel to ride.

Bowness Carousel (Heritage Park Historical Village, Calgary, Alberta) 
Built by Herschell-Spillman Co. in 1904, this is a very rare three-row track machine, where the horses’ rocking motion comes from eccentric drive wheels under the platform.

C.W. Parker Carousel No. 119 (Burnaby Village Museum, Burnaby, British Columbia) 
Built in 1912 and now fully restored, this carousel features 36 jumping horses, four stationary horses, a chariot and music provided by a 1925 Wurlitzer band organ.

Roseneath Carousel (Roseneath Fairgrounds, Roseneath, Ontario)
Built by C.W. Parker in 1906, this was originally a portable carnival carousel. It is the only Canadian carousel to receive the National Carousel Association (U.S.) Historic Carousel Award – in 2010.

Le Galopant (La Ronde, Montréal, Quebec) 
Built circa 1885 in Belgium, this was originally a travelling carousel powered by steam. It made its first Canadian appearance at Expo 67.

Designer: Paprika
Artist: René Milot

Release date: July 21, 2022

September

Canada Post Community Foundation

1 stamp in booklets of 10, FDC, cancel

Annual semi-postal issue. First issued 2012 that sees a $1 from each booklet go towards 1,000 community based organisations focused on helping children. This year Canada Post will support:

• Hope Air
  This organization provides families free flights and accommodations when they need to travel long distances for vital medical care.
• The municipality of Bird Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador
  This organisation purchases indoor and outdoor sports equipment for the Bird Cove Active Kids program;
• La Maison des jeunes “Le KAO” in Barraute, Quebec
  This organisation will hire a music teacher for their « Le temps d’une chanson » program.
• Bompas Elementary School in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories
  This organisation will purchase new Chromebooks to increase the technological capacity for their school and their students.

Designer: Joanne Todd from Chad Roberts Design Ltd. 

Release date: September 19, 2022

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Indigenous People of Canada

4 stamps in booklets of 8, FDC, cancel

You can read more about this series here: Truth and Reconciliation Day Canada Post | Bitter Grounds Magazine

Designer: Blair Thomson, Believe In Design

Release date: September 29, 2022

October

Diwali

1 stamp, booklet of 6, FDC, cancel
+ fluorescent ink illuminates fireworks when exposed to blacklight

Diwali will be celebrated October 24. 

This is the 3rd Diwali stamp issued by Canada Post.

Designer: Arthur Grivel/Parika Designs

Release date: October 6, 2022

Canadians in Flight
2nd in series

5 stamps, souvenir sheet of 5 stamps, booklet of 10, 5 FDCs, cancel, framed stamps (limited number)

• Violet (Vi) Milstead (1919-2014). First female bush pilot, instructor at Barker Field in Toronto. When WW2 broke out Milstead volunteered or the Air Transport Auxiliary (Britain) service. She spent the war flying fighters, transports and bombers from factories to active, front-line squadrons.  This was dangerous work because women of the ATA flew unarmed aircraft, often into dangerous territory.  Milstead manage to rack up over 600 flight hours in 47 different types of airplanes.  When the war ended, she returned to Canada. She took up residence in Sudbury, Ontario and resumed bush pilot duties.  
• The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver. This is a iconic aircraft that helped create the Canadian bush pilot legend. The Beaver is a much-loved little bush plane that can fly into any remote area because of its flexibility in types of landing gear it can be fitted with. Wheels, floats and skis can be fitted, depending on the need.  
• Kenneth Patrick (1915-2002) and the CAE flight simulator.  RCAF pilot who went on to found Canadian Aviation Electronics Ltd (later CAE Inc.). They helped pioneer realistic flight simulators that helped improve flight safety by allowing pilots to practice flights in a variety of conditions. 
  
• Wallace Rupert Turnbull (1870-1954) and the variable pitch propeller. Responsible for variable pitch propeller. Turnbul, one of the pioneers of aeronautical engineering, designed a propeller that could change pitch, angle quickly. 
• Wilbur R. Franks (1901-86) and the G-suit. Franks.  Franks developed the g-suit, which would become standard flight equipment for fighter pilots. His suit, the Franks Flying Suit, enabled pilots to withstand the strong, and debilitating G forces.  

Designer: Ivan Novotny, Taylor | Sprules Corporation
Previous design: 2011 Miss Supertest III
Taylor | Sprules has an interesting interview with Novotny on his career – Taylor|Sprules: Ivan Novotny Interview (tsworld.com)

Release date: October 17, 2022

Indigenous War Veteran Tommy Prince
Remembrance Day 
Indigenous People of Canada

1 stamp, booklet of 10, FDC, cancel 

From the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, 
“The Brokenhead Ojibway Nation (BON) is a Treaty 1 Nation located northeast of the Winnipeg, Manitoba on Hwy. 59.” About Us – Brokenhead Ojibway Nation.

A special unveiling ceremony was held Oct. 17, 2022, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Among those in attendance were friends and family, Chief Gordon Bluesky, Brokenhead Ojibway First Nation, Elder Wanbdi Wakita, University of Manitoba, Thunderbird Drum Group, The Warriors – Drum Group of the Winnipeg Rifles Private Alexina Nault, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada and Juno Award winner William Prince, performer and musician.
FDC canceled at St. Peter’s Reserve, Manitoba

Sergeant Thomas (Tommy) George Prince, MM, Silver Star (11 medals in total) (1915-77)
Served both WW2 and Korean War
Recon with Devil’s Brigade

Stories about Sergeant Prince’s military service are legend. You can read more about his career here Tommy Prince — First Nations Second World War hero › Maple Creek News.

After Prince retired from the military, he returned to Manitoba and became vice-president of the Manitoba Indian Association. He was a strong advocate for the abolishment of the Indian Act as well as governments (provincial and federal) respect Treaties. 

Despite his honourable discharge and unparalleled military service, Prince returned to the harsh realities of life as an indigenous person in Canada. He encountered racism, poverty and indifference from Canada at large. He could fight for Canada, but couldn’t even vote in any elections:

Prince faced illness and poverty later in life and died at age 62 at the Deer Lodge Centre in Winnipeg in 1977. At his funeral, a delegation of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry served as his pallbearers, and members from his reserve chanted the song “Death of a Warrior” as his casket was lowered into the ground. Indigenous war veteran Tommy Prince honoured with new stamp – Magazine | Canada Post (canadapost-postescanada.ca)

Designer: Blair Thomson, Believe in Design

Release date: October 28, 2022

November

Christmas Star

1 stamp, FDC, cancel

Designer: Paprika Designs
Illustrator: Fanny Roy

Release date: November 1, 2022

Holiday Birds

3 stamps, souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel

Designer: Hambly & Woolley Inc.
Illustrator: Sandra Dionisi

Release date: November 1, 2022

Hanukkah 

1 stamp, FDC, cancel, booklets of 6

Festival of Lights

Designer: Andrew Lewis Design
Previous designs include 2019 Christmas stamps, 2017 Canada Post Community Foundation. They also designed the colourful Canada Post delivery trucks that popped up around Canada during the pandemic.

Release date: November 7, 2022

Monique Mercure (1930-2020)

1 stamp, souvenir sheet of 6, booklet of 6, FDC, cancel

Acclaimed, award winning Canadian actress

• Mon oncle Antoine (1971)
• J.A. Martin photographe (1977) – which earned Mercure Canada’s first Festival de Cannes award for best actress
• Naked Lunch (1991)
• The Red Violin (1998) 

Among the many honours she received were:

• Companion of the Order of Canada
• Grand Officer of the Ordre national du Québec
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
• Compagne de l’Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec
• Doctorate honoris causa of the University of Montreal
• Doctorate honoris causa of the University of Toronto
• Award for Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for the role of Rose-Aimée in the film J.A. Martin photographed by Jean Beaudin
• Etrog Award for the role of Rose-Aimée in the film J.A. Martin photographed by Jean Beaudin
• Canadian Film Awards – Best performance by a lead actress for her role in J.A. Martin photographe by Jean Beaudin
• Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress for David Cronenberg’s film Naked Lunch
• Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress for Piers Haggard’s film, Conquest
• Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards
• Denise-Pelletier Prize for the Performing Arts
• Gascon-Roux Prize for the role of Hécube in Les Troyennes d’Euripide at the TNM
• Gémeaux Award- Best Leading Female Role in a TV Drama for Providence (2007)
• National Theatre School of Canada’s Gascon-Thomas Award
• Gémeaux Award- Best Leading Female Role in a TV Drama for Providence (2009)
  Monique MERCURE | Obituary | Montreal Gazette (remembering.ca)

Artist: Oriana Fenwich, using a 1963 photo by Henri Paul 
Designer: Underline Studio

Release date: November 14, 2022

Catch all of the 2021 stamps from Canada.  

Donate & subscribe

Enjoying the content? Consider donating or signing up for a subscription.
Your contribution will help defray the costs of hosting the site and the time taken to research articles.

Interested in sponsoring this page? Drop me a line contact @ bittergrounds.com

OR

Check out the Patreon tiers & perks:   Become a Patron!

• Instant Coffee $2 a month
• Espresso Shot $5 month
• Espresso & Stamps $10 per month
• Deluxe Mocha & Box of Stamps tier – $25 per month.