News releases

(Ottawa, ON) – Four outstanding and well-known Canadians are featured in the new Difference Makers stamp series issued today by Canada Post. Rick Hansen, renowned for his Man in Motion World Tour, actor Michael J. Fox, Aboriginal and human-rights champion, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, and president and CEO of the International Crisis Group, Louise Arbour are the first to be recognized.

“Everyday, Canadians work to make their lives and that of their neighbours better. It’s what makes this country so rich and inspirational,” says Jim Phillips, Director of Stamp Services for Canada Post. “Examples like the four exceptional Canadians recognized in this stamp series showcase the diversity of ways we can contribute in making our communities and country even better than it is.”

Difference Makers series
This is the first of a series focusing on inspirational Canadians. The design is the work of Montreal’s Paprika Design and the stamps show intimate close-ups of each of the four Difference Makers, created with a strategically-placed series of small dots. “This unique form of digital pointillism carries with it a subtle symbolism – the dots coming together to create a view of the whole in the same way that each of these individuals employs a range of experience, knowledge, skills and talents to the results they seek,” adds Phillips.

Rick Hansen
A young Rick Hansen dreamed of representing Canada at the Olympics someday. But at age 15, he lost the use of his legs in an automobile accident. His positive attitude allowed him to stay involved in sports and he became the first person with a disability to graduate with a degree in Physical Education at UBC. With Terry Fox as his inspiration Rick completed his epic journey on the Man in Motion Tour and later established the Rick Hansen Foundation, continuing his quest for a cure for spinal cord injury, and for an accessible and inclusive society.

Michael J. Fox
Urged by his teacher to audition for acting parts, Michael J, Fox appeared in numerous TV shows, theatre plays and movies including the blockbuster Back to the Future trilogy. In 1990, he was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s disease, but waited until 1998 to disclose his condition to the public. Committed to campaigning for increased Parkinson’s research, he established the non-profit Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to speed breakthrough treatments and a cure. Today the Foundation is the world’s largest private funder of Parkinson’s research.

Sheila Watt-Cloutier
Champion of Aboriginal and human rights, and a climate-change advocate, Sheila Watt-Cloutier has received the Aboriginal Achievement Award, the UN’s Champion of the Earth Award and the Norwegian Sophie Prize; she is also a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and Officer of the Order of Canada. Sheila Watt-Cloutier lived a traditional Inuit life in northern Quebec in the early years of her life. In 1995, Ms. Watt-Cloutier was elected the Canadian president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, a position she held until 2002, when she was elected its International Chair.

Louise Arbour
In 1996 Montreal-born Louise Arbour became chief prosecutor of war crimes at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia. In 1999, she was appointed to the Canadian Supreme Court. She later served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Arbour is currently president and CEO of the International Crisis Group. A Companion of the Order of Canada, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and grande officière de l’Ordre national du Québec, she has received countless international awards as well as honourary doctorates from 30 universities.

About the stamps
The four PERMANMENT stamps measure 32 mm x 32 mm with simulated perforations. Lowe-Martin printed 11 million stamps which will be available in booklets of 10.  The self-adhesive stamps will be printed using lithography in 3 colours on Tullis Russell paper. The Souvenir Sheet will be printed in 5 colour process plus varnish with 13+ perforations and measures 96 mm x 96 mm (square) and has P.V.A. gum. They are general tagged on all sides. The Official First Day Cover cancellation will be in Ottawa (Ontario). Additional information about Canadian stamps can be found in the news section of Canada Post’s website, and photos of these new stamps are also available. Stamps and other products will be available at participating post offices, or can be ordered online by following the links at canadapost.ca/collecting, or by mail order from the National Philatelic Centre. From Canada and the USA, call toll-free 1-800-565-4362, and from other countries, call 902 863-6550.