50 Cents Dollar of Canada 2024 - Coat of arms of Canada

The Canadian Coat of Arms, officially adopted on November 21, 1988, features a shield divided into four quarters representing France, England, Scotland, and Ireland, supported by a lion and a unicorn, with a crown above. In 1982, Bruce Hicks started a campaign to add the Order of Canada’s motto around the shield. In 1987, the Canadian Heraldic Authority authorized the use of the Coat of Arms with the Order of Canada as the sovereign’s personal arms. In 1994, a new design by herald Fraser Cathy Bursey-Sabourin was adopted, incorporating a ring around the shield with the Order of Canada’s motto: “Desiderantes meliorem patriam” (“They desire a better country”).