COVER N.173 - CANADA

Postmark: Canada Post / Postes Canada -  Downsview Retail Postal Outlet 1027 Finch Ave. West Toronto, ON, M3J 2L6 2022-10-17  
Posted on the 17th October; received on the 25h October 2022
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I do like coloured envelopes.  Not that there isn't a certain classical aura to an all white envelope, the more so since the stamps usually do "emerge" more efficiently against an all white background, but colours are, luckily, part of our lives and the added grain of "extraordinary" conferred to something that we are used and expect to see in white can be like ... a ray of sunshine protruding through an autumnal greyish sky, if you'll forgive my cheesy analogy.

Thanks a lot, Nargiza. I did quite like it. On top of it, I had also once received another coloured envelope from Jeff, in Canada, so it looks like my collection of letters from the upper North of the American continent is quite prone to chromatic diversity.

Stamps, left to right:

- The story of man is full of golden pages, we all know, but I dare to say, based on pure empiricism and gut feeling, that for each page written in gold, there are a couple of entire books printed in rust.

Supremacism, colonialism, exploitation, tyranny  are as old as man itself. its consequences have been and are still being felt by many and all it takes it to turn on the TV to sadly hear about conflicts that could have been avoided had we lived up to the adjective that qualifies our species... sapiens...

Sometimes knowingly, other times out of sheer ignorance man has done wrong to man. It's in our nature. We can't escape the fact that we are animals and given the right conditioning we will do stuff that normally we would think unimaginable.

Usually, some years after, as times and tides change, someone will come in the name of the aggressor and offer condolences, apologies... but the wrong was done, and those that felt it in the flesh usually are  already gone too.

It happened everywhere, in my own country also, of course. In fact, it is happening right now, as the church apologises for the behaviour of  members of the clergy that have abused those they should protect...

Quoting from Canada Post website

"First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were forced to attend federally created Indian residential schools, which operated for nearly a century and a half. More than 150,000 children were taken from their families and communities, many never to return home."

Many of these schools were run by the Catholic Church. 

Once again, Pope Francis, with a sincerity that I believe to be unquestionable and truly heartfelt, followed the Standard Operating Procedure: during a  visit to Canada he apologised to representatives of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities... but the wrong had long before been been done, and for those that suffered in the skin, many still alive today, an apology no matter how sincere, will always fall short..

On 29SEP22 Canada Post issued a set of four se-tenant self adhesive Domestic  Permanent stamps dedicated to the theme of Truth and Reconciliation.

Out of respect for the issue, I'll again quote directly from Canada Post website regarding the description of the two stamps from this series that were used on my cover. As such:

"The top left image was designed by Jackie Traverse, First Nation (Lake St. Martin, MB), Anishinaabe, Ojibwe. It represents seeds of change. It features a man and woman, the elders, their children and their grandchildren. The ubiquitous bunchberry is in the centre and represents Canada, with the roots from the seeds reaching to the past. This image emphasizes the need to share the sun, water and the land to enjoy a good harvest."

"The bottom left image was designed by stamp designer Blair Thomson. It features a pair of bold hands held over eyes and a human face. The hands are cross-representative — belonging to the settler, masking their view of reality and shame, and to the Indigenous people/Survivors, covering their face in sadness, pain, memories. Tears stream from between the fingers. The background further connects to the school windows, looking out and dreaming of home. An Indigenous child looks out from behind the hands to reinforce the message that we must never look away again."

- Classic carousels... how not to like them?

A rather uncommon theme for a rather uncommon format stamp set, I believe, but an interesting one, nonetheless.

On 21JUL2022 Canada Post issued a set of 5 self-adhesive Permanent Domestic rate stamps illustrated with images of animals (4 horses + 1 lion)  from vintage carousels dating back to the late 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, that I presume are well loved  by all those that have ridden the lovely wooden creatures.

The one on my cover, features a beautiful horse identified as belonging to the Roseneath Carousel. Again resorting to the Canada Post website "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. This carousel has resided at the Roseneath Fairgrounds in Roseneath, Ontario, since 1932.

Uncommon stamps call for uncommon postmarks and that's precisely what the large rectangular postmarks are, informing us that the cover was mailed from the city of Toronto, the capital of the Ontario province.