The Maple Leaf Forever: A Celebration of Canadian Symbols

Book celebrates the symbols of our history

By Care Lucas

Back on Feb. 20, Canadians gathered around their TVs and collectively held their breath as Team Canada faced off against Team USA in the championship match-up of the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off.

An estimated 16.1 million people watched the game, which ended with Canada’s beloved Connor McDavid scoring for Canada in overtime. Canadians let out a sigh of relief.

Although it was not an Olympic game, McDavid’s goal is sure to join the ranks of other golden Canadian hockey moments—Sittler in 1976, Crosby in 2010 and Poulin in 2014.

Hockey has always been unmistakably Canadian. In fact, for Norfolk’s Nigel Hutchins, it is the hockey stick that he identifies as the most Canadian symbol.

Nigel and his wife, Donna, co-authored The Maple Leaf Forever: A Celebration of Canadian Symbols, a stunning coffee table book published in 2006 that depicts their curated collection of what they believe to be the three most enduring Canadian symbols: the maple leaf, the beaver and the Mountie.

“Those are the three symbols that have just interwoven throughout our history and people adapted them in different ways into their lives to say, ‘Hey, I’m a Canadian,’” Donna said.

The couple shares a background in theatre and a love of art and preservation. Like many Canadians, they also possess a love of country.

Nigel’s family moved to Canada from England. His father was a naval officer. “I was one of these Armed Forces kids who got dragged all over the place. And lucky me, because I got dragged from one end of Canada to another,” he said.

He lived in Quebec a few times, and at one point even attended school there. “The joy of being in different cultures…You look at the people from the West, and just the whole makeup of this country, and it’s pretty outrageously special.”

Nigel and Donna met shortly after 1967, the year of the Montreal Expo, which coincided with Canada’s 100-year celebration.

“I was already a fanatic about Canadian history, and he was into the architecture,” Donna said. She helped Nigel create three books on restoring houses, before finding inspiration to create a project celebrating Canada.

“Quebec separatism became huge. And at that point, Quebec really did want to separate,” she said. The pair were antique dealers then. Donna noticed everyone was gravitating towards amazing pieces with symbols of the maple leaf or beaver. It prompted her to shift gears.

“[I said] we need to start collecting Canada.” Over the years, they’ve done just that, accumulating over 1,600 pieces that speak to Canadian identity.

The collection spills across the pages of their book, which was photographed by Matthew Beverly. It’s pop-art format, was inspired by the work of Andy Warhol, whose art and philosophy are a source of creativity for Nigel. Warhol had a habit of gathering all the items on his desk every couple of months and putting them in a box. “It would be a time capsule,” Nigel said, admitting that he views their project in the same light. “This was Canada, or this is Canada during that time period. And it’s…an evolution.”

The pages are filled with vibrant images of internationally recognized symbols such as Mounties and the maple leaf, as well as more covertly Canadian symbols like the comic hero Captain Canuck.

“There are so many things to embrace and say, ‘Hey, that’s uniquely Canadian,’” Donna said, as we discussed the “secret” symbols that Canadians have kept closer to our chests as ours only: the beer-drinking McKenzie Brothers, Mr. Dressup’s magical Tickle Trunk or Canada’s band the Tragically Hip, whose lyrics were so specific to Canada they were never able to penetrate an American audience.

For Donna, Canadian patriotism is found in the beauty of the Canadian landscape, often portrayed in the Group of Seven’s paintings.

“We were at a friend’s cottage… and the loons were singing in the water,” she said. “[There was this] one big pine that … silhouetted against the moon over the water. And it just took my breath away.”

But few things unite our country the way hockey does. Nigel joked about a colleague from Russia who had done some printing for them in the past. He once told him, “We play hockey in Russia and we love it. But in Canada, hockey is a religion.” For Nigel, the statement was profound.

The book may have been published in 2006, but the uncertainty Canadians are experiencing now makes it more relevant than ever. In its foreword, Wesley Mattie writes, “When we begin to see ourselves as a nation unto itself and not in competition with the U.S., then perhaps we will then be able to piece together our identity.”

This moment has united the country in a way that is awe-inspiring. “This whole sovereignty issue and this existential crisis that we’re all facing. It’s the outside force that’s doing it, the enemy out there, not the enemy within,” Donna said.

As a country, Nigel hopes Canada can mirror the rich heritage of his beloved Quebec. He said we need to invest in ourselves and our culture.

Much like separatism, this moment will pass. But when it does, Canadians must keep our elbows up. Donna hopes we don’t default back to our old habits. “If we really want to be a sovereign country, we do need to step up,” she said. “I hope we become resilient.”

Originally printed in The Good News, May 2025.