Poilievre celebrates Queen's Jubilee with new stamp
Posted Feb 2, 2012 By Emma Jackson
Click to Enlarge
EMC News - Nepean-Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre wasted no time celebrating the Queen's diamond jubilee on Jan. 25, kicking off her 60th anniversary at Manotick's post office to promote Canada Post's new commemorative stamp.
Emma Jackson, Metroland
Nepean-Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre and Manotick post office employee Louise Deugo show off the Queen's diamond jubilee stamp in front of the post office on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
The stamp is a clean, white stamp featuring an image of Queen Elizabeth II in her early senior years. It was officially issued on Jan. 16, but arrived at Manotick's post office on Wednesday, Jan. 25 when Poilievre visited.
The Conservative MP said the stamp celebrates the Queen's reign as head of state, and serves to remind Canadians of our history.
"Our entire system of government is based on the British parliamentary model and the Queen is ultimately our head of state.
So I like to remind our citizens the importance of those traditions and all the freedoms we enjoy as a result," Poilievre said.
The Queen will celebrate her 60th year on the throne on Feb. 6. Canada Post is also issuing a series of stamps that commemorate her decades in office in more detail.
In May, the post office will release a special stamp that replicates the diamond jubilee stamp made for Queen Victoria in 1897.
Like the original, Queen Elizabeth's stamp will feature an image from her early years as queen beside a contemporary photo, and will be printed in roughly the same colour, size and format as Queen Victoria's.
Longtime stamp collector and stamp store owner Ian Kimmerly said that while the commemorative stamp released in January is "a handsome stamp" that collectors generally love, the stamp planned for May has not been received so favourably.
"The contemporary photo has apparently been approved by the Queen, but collectors are unanimous about how ugly it is. It's not a flattering photo," he said.
Stamp collectors interested in royalty are much more enthusiastic about the stamp available now.
"It shows her looking younger than her years, definitely very regal and I've heard a number of comments from collectors and they're unanimously effusive in their praise," Kimmerly said.
Poilievre said he hopes residents will take the opportunity to buy the stamp before it's gone.
"In our lifetime, there will never be a Queen's jubilee again so it's an opportunity to grab a special stamp, not only to send letters but to keep for the future," he said.
Manotick made its mark on the stamp collecting world in 2011 when Watson's Mill was included in a collector's booklet of mills across Canada.
blog comments powered by Disqus
