Mandela stamp honours links to Canada

Mayor John Tory and other dignitaries are joined by students at Nelson Mandela Park Public School in Regent Park as Canada Post unveiled a commemorative stamp of Nelson Mandela. Gwyneth Chapman Photo
Mayor John Tory and other dignitaries are joined by students at Nelson Mandela Park Public School in Regent Park as Canada Post unveiled a commemorative stamp of Nelson Mandela. Gwyneth Chapman Photo

Canada Post unveiled a stamp to commemorate the heroic life of Nelson Mandela, and celebrate the legacy of courage, determination and persistent hope he left behind.

The stamp was introduced Tuesday at Nelson Mandela Park Public School in Regent Park in Toronto as one of the events leading to Black History Month in February.

It recognizes the special relationship Canada shared with Mandela, who called this country his home away from home.

Amid his 27 years in prison, Mandela became a symbol of the moral fight for freedom, equality and justice in South Africa and around the world. His message strongly resonated among Canadians, who were at the forefront of the global outcry over his imprisonment and of the unrelenting demand for his release.

After his release in 1990, Canada was among the first countries Mandela visited. Four years later, as president of South Africa, he specifically drew on Canadian values, policies and practices to build his post-apartheid vision of a multi-racial democracy rooted in equality and governed by the rule of law.

In 2001, on his third visit to Canada, Mandela was bestowed with honorary Canadian citizenship, the first living person to receive this recognition.

The stamp was inspired by a photograph by Yousuf Karsh on Mandela’s first visit to Canada, just four months after his release from prison. The world mourned Mandela’s passing on Dec. 5, 2013.

The Nelson Mandela Permanent stamp is available in booklets of 10 and measures 32 mm x 32 mm. An Official First Day Cover and souvenir sheet with an international rate stamp are also available. The first day cover measures 191 mm x 113 mm and is cancelled in Ottawa.

The stamp will be for sale starting Jan. 30. To buy philatelic products, visit canadapost.ca/shop.