From the time that the first Canadian postage stamp was issued in 1851, the adhesives have illustrated culturally, socially and politically important moments in national history. These bits of iconography have displayed narratives that run central to life in Canada, including anything from engravings of native beavers to portraits of the royal crowns of England. It follows that leading Canadian artists have expressed a notably high regard for postage, as seen in the commentary of painter and sculptor Charles Comfort. In 1947, Comfort wrote that stamps, \u201c\u2026bring to the recipient, whether at home or abroad, something of the character, the national dignity, the contemporary awareness of the state in which it had its origin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weak cultural value<\/p>\n
Canada Post is responsible for continuing to showcase central accomplishments, traditions and key historic events through postage stamps. High-speed communications have changed this task. Along with conventional stamps stuck on paper envelopes are new forms of delivery geared towards advertising, publishing, government and finance.\u00a0In today\u2019s digital age, postal transformations in each of these industries detract from the cultural value once associated with the mail.<\/p>\n