Canada Post Honouring Live People

In the current issue of Linn's Stamp News Weekly there is a letter to the editor complaining about Canada Post issuing stamps featuring people that are still alive.
Mr. McDonald of Brookville MD...contends that "Only dead people should be honoured on stamps. Only then can we judge their worthiness"

Opinions anyone?..

Personally I know two people that were recently honoured by Canada Post...and they
we're thrilled!...saying that it was an incredible honor.

A person can and should be honoured for their contributions during their life time. Awards do not have to given post-mortem.

For example, I do not have to wait for a soldier to die to judge his worthiness. While some medals are given post-mortem, there are many that are given when the soldier is still alive.

When I read that letter earlier today my first ( and continuing) impression was "some people have nothing else to do but complain". He must be a new collector if he thinks this is the only time that Canada and many other countries have done this.

Glenn Estus

I can't speak for Canada, but in the US they have opened the door to allowing living people to appear on stamps, although to date, it hasn't intentionally happened (yet). Indirectly, living people have appeared on stamps (sometimes accidentally, as with certain drawings and illustrations used on stamps) or were honored on stamps in character (i.e. Star Trek and Harry Potter), but not by their own name. Of course, the Medal of Honor stamps started a new trend in depicting some named Medal of Honor recipients still living in their "prestige folio" but not on the stamps themselves.

Although I know Canada and many other countries have already depicted living people on their stamps I tend to agree with the old line of thinking that a person should be deceased before being considered for a stamp. At least after a person's death, their entire lifetime achievements can be judged and at that point a person should be considered for the honor of being immortalized on a postage stamp.

There has also been a concern that living individuals could "buy their way" onto a stamp which would diminish the honor at all levels.

Since there is such a long list of deceased people who haven't yet been depicted on a postage stamp, yet they have made a significant contribution to their country to the point that they are worthy of the honor, it seems to me that should be the first priority.

It seems to me there have been too many recent celebrities that have risen to fame only to have declined into less favorable pursuits (criminal or otherwise) that it would be an embarrassment to postal authorities if these people were depicted on stamps.

Canada Post has been honoring the living on its stamps since 2005 when it issued a stamp honoring the great jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson. Since then Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Anne Murray, Paul Anka,Robert Charlbois, Edith Butler, Stompin' Tom Conners, Bryan Adams, etc. have all appeared on Canadian stamps. Perhaps Mr. McDonald just hates comedians.

Oscar was not the first. There were many hockey players before him.

If memary serves me well the hockey players were not identified in print on the stamps...the text was just National Hockey League Stars...a discervice to the players featured.

Graphis - a picture is a thousand words. Those stamps still commemorated the living players.

The US 1932 Arbor Day stamp showed two living children, the 1945 Navy commemorative showed identifiable individuals, and Walter Strobel is shown on the Eisenhower stamp of stamp of 1990.

Although we're hijacking this thread from Canada to US issues, does anyone remember what is purported to be the earliest US issue to feature a living person or persons depicted on a stamp? It was posted in this Forum not too long ago. Do you remember what issue it was?

I'll post the answer later.

I don't have any qualms with CP issuing stamps for worthy and living Canadians. I just wish they made sure all were worthy of such recognition. Out of the dozen or so Canadians who have had stamps issued in their honour, there are less than six who truly deserve such recognition. Perhaps CP should make known what the selection criteria are.

I believe the Linn's letter was tongue-in-cheek and was actually making fun of an old-fashioned policy that forbids featuring people on stamps who are still alive. The author concludes by suggesting that the U.S. refuse to accept mail bearing the likenesses of Jim Carrey and other living Canadian comedians and says, "In this way we can honor the principles of our aged philatelists."

For a few years now, Canada Post has adopted a policy for issuing stamps with live people. I can't remember how long ago it was though.

Chimo

Bujutsu

Here's the answer: