The precious old customs will live and remain
Of ALGONQUIN, and MOHAWK across Northern Plain;
Moccasins, totem pole, tipi* so rich
With Life's breath and spiritual message to teach.

'The human ones,' so widely called Eskimos,
Is a true name for INUIT; in wide lands of snow
Dwell the COPPER, the NETSILIK and LABRADOR breeds,
The CARIBOU - noted for fine art in beads.

On both east and west coastlines their spirit shall sing
And through the sub arctic their prayers ever ring;
They have chords of sweet harmony with Nature one,
Yet their cultures are varied and vivid as sun.

Majestic high Rockies and bountiful lakes,
These are GOD'S generous gifts of which all may partake,
The broad-flowing rivers gush into the sea,
And a marvel of wildlife, untethered, is free
As the churning white rapids that tumble and race
By huge glacier hulks gently sculptured in grace.

Magnificnt woodlands of stately posed Firs,
Ash, Maples and Elm, which a rippling breeze stirs
And sways to a rhythm green mantles of Pine;
These trees so resplendent they quiver and shine
Crimson, golden, deep bronze, polished bright by the swish
Of Autumn's fine brush and with frost lightly kissed.

Tall peaks standing noble, broad canyons that yawn,
Luxuriant valleys glide by at the mourn
Of rail coaches winding and criss-crossing through
Darkest tunnels that open to eye-catching views
Of churches with steeples in old rural towns,
Or the sun red and blazing before setting down.

Wide colourful harbours bid lazy yachts float,
Great ports hail a welcome to huge cargo boats
That come from far places meandering past
Long shorelines where small friendly vallages bask;
And briny-lapped docks wait as fishing fleets seek
Their safe moorings from ocean, or gales wild and bleak.

The moon's gentle light and the sun's beaming rays
Bathe thousands of islands a-sprawling 'round bays
Of the glorious GEORGIAN that sweeps to Great Lakes,
UNGAVA and BAFFIN which mingle with Straits;
The HADLEY, COMMITTEE and HOME Bays, though small
Beside the vast HUDSON - the grandest of all!

Bright Flag of the MAPLE LEAF flying unfurled
Vivacious and free in this wonderful world;
From far-north ALERT, where cold arctic winds quake,
Down to South PELEE ISLAND in ERIE's Great Lake;
And from eastern CAPE RACE, blown by sea breeze and sand,
Across to the westernmost - QUEEN CHARLOTTE LAND.

This flag covers NEWFOUNDLAND terrain and shore,
And also spectacular grand LABRADOR
Where mountains, with snow caps, lay still and composed
In clear mirrors of lakes, as the lone rugged coast
Billows joy when those luminous curtains of Light
Burn and shimmer - to tell of GOD working at night!

From HEBRON to GOOSE BAY, ST. GEORGES', CAPE SPEAR,
ST. ANTHONY where a good man is endeared
For his love and compassion. Proud people have gifts
Of warm humour and laughter that merge with the rifts
Of wild ocean, and winds blowing gently to balm
Anxious hearts, or still waters that succour and calm.

Staunch and strong, much-endowed with a plentiful feast
Of small harbours and coves, is this part of "down east".

Our Maple Leaf flutters on 'New Scotland', Isle
Of blithe NOVA SCOTIA that greets with a smile
As it swirls with the splendour of gay-swinging kilts
Of clans from CAPE BRETON across to SPRINGHILL.

The unflagging toilers of land and deep mines
Burst with laughter and songs from these grand MARITIMES
Where neat villages, cities and small towns serene
Are linked to the sea by their history and mein.
The finest of schooners have sailed from the docks
Of LUNENBURG, HALIFAX boasts a town clock
On a hill leading up to the CITADEL, steeped
In great history, which surveys abundance well-reaped.

A-throbbing of New world and goodness of Old
Combine in this Province, exciting and bold.

An island quite small with a heart that is great
And cradled so snug by NORTHUMBERLAND STRAIT,
Reaps a plenteous harvest from land and from sea -
A delectable banquet in glad company!

This lovely PRINCE EDWARD, with soil rich and red,
Is where our great CONFEDERATION was bred
By wise men of perception, assembled with pride
To link this vast Nation that ONE-NESS may bide
In mind and in spirit and deep in our hearts,
Though we're from different creeds and from lands far apart.

Young 'Anne of Green Gables' came forth from the pen
Of a woman beloved whose girlhood was spent
In this place where small towns are both stylish and quaint,
And CHARLOTTETOWN which hallows churches of saints.
Our noble red Symbol embraces warm farms,
Pale dunes and green meadows on this Isle of Charms.

NEW BRUNSWICK is 'old' and it values the store
Of laudable artworks and treasures galore
In ST. ANDREWS and FREDERICTON. A heritage fine
Is the pride of this Province with churches sublime,
A wide varied landscape of towns lined with trees,
Of handsome old buildings and caves in the seas.

From highlands the River ST. JOHN wends its way
Past valleys and farms then it reaches the Bay
Of a powerful FUNDY which sends raging tides
To wash jutted cliffs where marine life abides.
Fresh challenges blend with tradition secured
'neath our red-and-white Flag, for a people assured.

Québecois enrich Life with shared bonhomie:
Their Province, the largest, is where joie de vivre
Breaks out at the annual 'Carnaval' time
In old QUEBEC CITY and when skiers climb
Up high mountains, and as they soar easy and free
Through TREMBLANT, the GATINEAU and great GASPESIE.

Enclosed in this Province, with mother-tongue French,
Are wonders unmatched like the huge falls that drench
In great parks sweeping acres not touched by man's hand -
MONTMORENCY, FORILLON, smile in this land
Where exquisiteness blends and fine craftsmanship flairs.
These legacies, precious, not found everywhere.

So 'vive le QUEBEC', where our Maple enfolds
Graceful churches, old culture, theyre priceless like gold.
And think well of our Voyageurs, fearless and keen,
Who traversed that perilous route from LACHINE;
Tenacious and staunch into rapids they rode
In frail birch bark canoes with amazing great loads.

ONTARIO spreads on breathtaking Great Lakes
Of wilderness waters that hurry to break
And pound rocky shorelines, or rest on smooth beach.
Northern forests and woods thrust their trees up to reach
For a clear slarlit sky; and embraced by the land
Are wonders of Nature, and some of man's hand
Like the statues, and structures, which honour the worth
Of good people who shared and gave much to this Earth;
And NIAGARA currents which plunge and then forge
Into spellbinding streams pouring down to deep gorge.

This Province, with challenge and progress at hand,
Has cities a-sprawling and claiming the land -
But within all this bustling are parks which display
Precious trees and plants blooming, or fountains that play;
And the autumn has glories that beckon and call,
While ONTARIO PLACE has a mammoth white ball.

Fair pride rises up in our villages, towns,
Huge forests and lakes, which our Maple Leaf crowns.

Our Capital City of OTTAWA lies
In Ontario Province, with historic ties,
Where the Houses of Parliament, set on a hill,
Stand imposing - the splendid result of man's skill.

There are carvings and panels from linen and oak,
High ceilings and murals portraying good folk,
And a circular library holds books that enthrall
By keen writers; and watching regardful of all
Is a young Queen Victoria. Quaint carvings of stone
Decorate in-and-out, a rich canopied throne
Denotes Royal bonds. There are windows, adorned
With Canada's flora, that inspire and warm.

Special books of REMEMBRANCE, the pages are turned
To remind us who fell and how Freedom was earned -
So that people with DIGNITY walk in these halls,
Proclaiming that HONOUR will not fade or fall!
This magnificent place exists in our Domain
To ensure that true JUSTICE and LOYALTY reign.

The RIDEAU CANAL, with long channel and locks,
Is the site where bright Summertime pleasure craft docks,
It presents a flotilla to herald the Spring
And in Wintertime turns to the World's longest rink!
The parkways and gardens bloom vivid each year
With thousands of brilliant tulips to cheer.

From Parliament's Peace Tower, graceful and tall,
The Maple Leaf hovers o'er big house and small
Which observe the great pomp and grand pageantry ride
Through this worthy City of beauty and pride.

And the OTTAWA RIVER, so wide, was the lot
Of those Voyageurs joined by magnificent Scots,
A West Indian, English and Germans, all proud
As they struggled so bravely through dense fog or cloud.

Into GEORGIAN BAY, straining vigour and brawn,
They paddled with fury oft-passing through storm
To the Great Lake SUPERIOR, and through portage trails
They sweated and slithered while lugging huge bales.

On one lofty tower a Golden Boy stands
Who carries a sheaf and a torch in his hands,
These emblems, of farming and steady progress,
Are known for a Province that leads to the West.
Once, hardships were widespread with famine and fire
But vitality thrives and great dreams now aspire
In grand MANITOBA, far reaching, diverse,
Where the roots are of old and the present alert!

So mellowed and gracious, from days long ago,
Are places that meet with today's trend and flow
To an artistic newness that wakes to the needs
Of a people resourceful, from various creeds.
They hoist our Flag high over city and plain,
From MORDEN to CHURCHILL within this Domain.

The wealth of SASKATCHEWAN stems from the wheat
Soft-blowing on limitless acres that beat
With the hearts borne of pioneer-settlers, to mold
Firm bonds for their kin in these Prairies of gold.

And on the horizon spring burgeoning towns
In this 'Prairie Province' that breaks the new ground
Of other resources, to add breadth and length
For a people who stride and go on strength-to-strength.
REGINA, PRINCE ALBERT and YORKTON observe
Fine traditions, directions, in this place of verve.
Our Flag flies in places with 'natural' names -
SWIFT CURRENT, BIG BEAVER and PORCUPINE PLAIN!

ALBERTA is bounteous, lasting and new;
Wide meadows and badlands, sleek cities that view
Open spaces of country to snow peaks that loom
In the distance, or parks that are havens well-groomed
And created with love to give pleasure; and PEACE
Is the name of a River that flows from north-east!

The Stampede in CALGARY cheers and applauds
A people who laboured and struggled, they soared
To their hard-earned prosperity gained in the ranks
Of ranchers and farmers, as oil-men advanced.

The smart, brilliant red-coated, Mounties show pride
In their own special customs; tough Cowboys still ride
Through the foothills and large bands of Indians dwell
In this land, their lined faces and headdresses tell
Of great wisdom and status. A keen will to thrive
Stirs up vision and thought in this Province alive
With a people of spirit, well known in the West,
Who fly that bold Flag with the Maple Leaf Crest.

Before the Ice-Crust and harsh Winter's tight grip
Took hold, and starvation could halt the long trip
To LAKE ATHABASCA and CHIPEWYAN FORT,
The Voyageurs pressed on determined and taut
To the places where fur pelts were traded for packs,
And the goods they had loaded and carried on backs.
Their undaunting spirit kept pushing them on -
Those men in canoes. Unsung heroes, now gone.

Beautiful! This word can say it the best
Of BRITISH COLUMBIA, part of the West;
Lush orchards, deep canyons, and rivers that flit
Over falls making rainbows of colour that fit
This grand place. The huge ROCKIES and glaciers lie
From North to the South, bringing tears to the eyes
Seeing splendour so awesome; and gardens that form
In neat patterns with brightness, or soft hues that warm
Through the heart. There is magic and charm, all its own,
In VICTORIA - a city of elegance - known
For the buildings of style looking over the sea
And a gracious hotel serving afternoon tea!