The following is an armorial of the thirty one individuals who have served as governor general of Canada since Confederation.
To date, all governors general have been granted armorial achievements, otherwise known as coats of arms, with the most recent being granted to Mary Simon in 2022.
Prior to 1952, the majority of governors general inherited their arms and as such the designs of those arms usually do not reflect them personally. Plaster carvings of the coats of arms of the first twelve governors general after confederation, from Lord Monck to Lord Byng, are displayed in the chambers of the Speaker of the Senate of Canada.
Coats of arms of governors general
PortraitNameShield of armsBlazonFull achievement1Lord MonckEscutcheon: Gules: a chevron between three lions' heads, erased, argent.
Crest: A wyvern, wings elevated, sable.
Coronet: That of a viscount
Supporters: Dexter, a dragon; sinister, a lion, both argent, and holding in the fore paw a branch of laurel, resting on the shoulder, vert, fructed, gules.
Motto: (Boldly, faithfully, successfully)2Lord LisgarEscutcheon: Argent: three piles, sable, each charged with a trefoil, slipped, or, on a chief of the second, three annulets, of the third, and in canton the augmentation of a baronet being an inescutcheon, a sinister hand erect couped at the wrist and appaumé (open, displaying the palm) gules.
Crest: A demi-lion rampant, charged on the shoulder with a trefoil, slipped, and holding in the dexter paw a sprig of three maple leaves, also slipped or.
Supporters: Two women vested argent, the one to the dexter mantled azure and holding in her dexter hand a paddle or, the one to the sinister mantled vert and holding in her sinister hand a crook or.
Coronet: That of a baron
Motto: (Prudence)3Lord DufferinEscutcheon: Quarterly: 1st and 4th, azure, a fesse or, in chief a crescent, argent, between two mullets of the second, and in base a mascle voided of the third, Blackwood; 2nd quarterly, 1st and 4th or, an eagle displayed sable, 2nd and 3rd argent, two bars sable, each charged with three martlets, Temple; 3rd gules, three cinquefoils pierced ermine; on a chief or, a lion passant of the field, Hamilton.
Crest: 1st, on a cap of maintenance, gules, turned up ermine, a crescent argent, Blackwood; 2nd, on a ducal coronet or, a martlet or; 3rd, a demi-antelope affronte ermine, attired and unguled or, holding between his hoofs a heart gules.
Coronet: That of a marquess
Supporters: Dexter, a lion gules, gorged with a collar, flory counterflory or; sinister, an heraldic tiger ermine, collared as the dexter.
Motto: (Straight forward)4Lord LorneEscutcheon: Quarterly: 1st and 4th gyronny of eight or and sable, Campbell; 2nd and 3rd argent, a lymphad or ancient galley, sails furled, pennants flying and oars in action sable, Lorne.
Crest: A boar's head fessewise, erased or, armed argent, langued gules.
Coronet: That of a duke
Supporters: Two lions rampant guardant, gules.
Motto: Above: (Forget not); on the compartment: (I scarce call these things our own)5Marquess of LansdowneEscutcheon: Quarterly: 1st and 4th, ermine, on a bend azure, a magnetic needle pointing to the polar star or, Petty; 2nd and 3rd, argent, a saltire gules, and a chief ermine, Fitzmaurice.
Crest: 1st, a bee-hive beset with bees, volante, all proper; 2nd, a sagittary passant proper.
Coronet: That of a marquess
Supporters: Two pegasi ermine, winged, bridled, and unguled, or, and each charged on the breast with a fleur-de-lis azure.
Motto: (By courage, not words)6Lord StanleyEscutcheon: Argent, on a bend azure, three bucks' heads, cabossed or.
Crest: On a chapeau gules, turned up ermine, an eagle wings extended or, preying on a child proper, swaddled gules, in a cradle laced or.
Coronet: That of an earl
Supporters: Dexter, a griffin, wings elevated, or, ducally collared, and line reflexed over the back azure; sinister, a stag or, collared and lined as the dexter.
Motto: (Without changing)7Lord AberdeenEscutcheon: Azure, three boars’ heads couped or armed proper and langued gules, within a tressure flowered and counterflowered interchangeably with thistles, roses, and fleurs-de-lis of the second.
Crest: Two arms holding a bow and arrow straight upwards in a shooting posture and at full draught all proper.
Coronet: That of an marquess
Supporters: Dexter, an earl; sinister, a doctor of laws.
Motto: (Let fortune follow)8Lord MintoEscutcheon: Quarterly: 1st and 4th grand quarters quarterly, 1st and 4th argent, a hunting horn sable, stringed gules, and on a chief azure, three mullets of the field, Murray; 2nd and 3rd azure, a chevron argent, between three fleurs-de-lis or, Kynynmound; 2nd and 3rd grand quarters gules, within a bordure vaire, a bend engrailed or, thereon a baton azure, Elliot; above all a chief of augmentation argent, and thereon a Moor's head sable, being the arms of the island of Corsica.
Crest: A dexter arm embowed issuant from clouds, throwing a dart, all proper.
Coronet: That of an earl
Supporters: Dexter, an Indian sheep proper; sinister, a fawn proper.
Motto: Over crest: (He needs not the bow); Below: (Mildly and firmly)9Lord GreyEscutcheon: Gules, a lion rampant, within a bordure, engrailed, argent, in dexter chief point a mullet or.
Crest: A scaling ladder, or, hooked and pointed sable.
Coronet: That of an earl
Supporters: Dexter, a lion guardant, purpure, ducally crowned, or; sinister, a tiger, guardant, proper.
Motto: (To serve the king with good will)10Duke of ConnaughtEscutcheon: The royal arms differenced by a label of three points argent, the centre point charged with a St George's Cross, and each of the other points with a fleur-de-lis azure; in the centre of the said royal arms, an escutcheon of the august house of Saxony, viz., barry of ten, or and sable, a crown of rue in bend vert.
Coronet: That of a son of a sovereign
Crest: On a coronet composed of crosses-patée, and fleur-de-lis, a lion statant guardant or, crowned with the like coronet, and differenced with a label of three points argent, charged as in the arms.
Supporters: The royal supporters, differenced with the like coronet and label.11Duke of DevonshireEscutcheon: Sable, three bucks’ heads cabossed argent.
Crest: A serpent nowed proper.
Coronet: That of a duke
Supporters: Two bucks proper, each wreathed round the neck with a chaplet of roses, alternately argent and azure.
Motto: (Secure by caution)12Lord ByngEscutcheon: Quarterly sable and argent, in the first quarter a lion rampant of the second; over all in bend sinister, a representation of the Regimental colours of the 31st Regiment of Foot.
Crest: 1st, out of a mural crown, an arm embowed, grasping the colours of the said regiment, and pendant from the wrist by a riband, a gold cross, and on an escroll, the word “Mouguerre”; 2nd, an heraldic antelope ermine, attired and crined or.
Coronet: That of a viscount
Supporters: Dexter, an heraldic antelope ermine, attired or; sinister, a lion or; each charged on the shoulder with a rose gules.
Motto: (I will defend)13Lord WillingdonEscutcheon: Quarterly: 1st and 4th argent, three lions rampant gules, a chief azure, Thomas, 2nd and 3rd ermine, two pallets azure, over all three fusils conjoined in fesse or, Freeman.
Crest: 1st, a demi-lion rampant gules charged on the shoulder with an ermine spot argent, Thomas; 2nd, issuant out of an antique crown azure, a boar's head proper, Freeman.
Coronet: That of a marquess
Supporters: On either side a freeman armed cap-à-pie in English armour of the 17th century proper.
Motto: Honesty is the best policy14Lord BessboroughEscutcheon: Gules, a chevron between three combs argent.
Crest: Out of a ducal coronet azure, three arrows, points downward, one in pale and two in saltire, entwined at the intersection by a snake proper.
Coronet: That of an earl
Supporters: Two lions reguardant proper.
Motto: (For the king, the law and the people)15Lord TweedsmuirEscutcheon: Azure, a fess argent between three lions' heads erased of the same.
Crest: A sunflower proper.
Coronet: That of a baron
Supporters: Dexter: a stag proper attired or collared gules; Sinister: a falcon proper jessed belled and beaked or armed and collared gules.
Motto: (Not following meaner things).16Lord AthloneEscutcheon: Quarterly quartered, 1st grand quarter 1 and 4 England, 2 Scotland, 3 Ireland; in chief a label of three points argent, the centre point charged with a cross of St. George and each of the other points with two hearts in pale also gules; upon an escutcheon of pretence the arms of Hanover, gules, two lions passant guardant in pale or, impaling or semée of hearts gules, a lion rampant azure, on a point in point gules a horse courant; 2nd and 3rd grand quarters, party per pale, on the dexter side three stags attires fesseways in pale sable, on the sinister side three lions passant in pale sable, over all an inescutcheon of the arms of the Duchy of Teck, paly bendy sinister sable and argent; in the centre point a crescent for difference.
Coronet: That of an earl
Crest: A dog's head paly bendy sinister sable and argent, charged on the neck with a crescent for difference.
Supporters: Dexter, a lion sable, the paws flayed to the shoulder gules; sinister, a stag proper; both charged on the shoulder with a crescent for difference.
Motto: Fearless and faithful17Lord AlexanderEscutcheon: Per pale argent and sable, a chevron, and in base a crescent, all counterchanged; on a canton azure a harp or stringed argent.
Crest: An arm in armour, embowed, the hand holding a sword proper, hilt and pommel or.
Coronet: That of an earl
Supporters: Dexter, a piper of the Irish Guards holding under the interior arm a bagpipe; sinister, a sepoy of the 3rd/2nd Punjabi Regiment supporting with the exterior hand a rifle proper, each charged on the shoulder with an escutcheon barry nebuly of six argent and azure.
Motto: By land, by sea, by the stars18Vincent MasseyEscutcheon: Argent on a chevron between three lozenges sable each charged with a fleur-de-lis argent, three stags' heads erased or, a canton azure charged with the crest of the royal arms of Canada (on a wreath argent and gules a lion passant guardant or wearing the royal crown proper and holding in the dexter paw a maple leaf gules).
Crest: Issuant from an antique crown or a bull's head sable armed or charged on the neck with a lozenge argent thereon a fleur-de-lis sable.
Motto: (As long as I am wearing myself out, I am useful)19General Georges Philias VanierEscutcheon: Or, on a chevron paly of eight azure and gules two swords, points in chief, or; in chief an oak tree couped proper between a fleur-de-lis azure and a trefoil vert and in base the gate of Citadel of Quebec flying thereon the flag of the Governor General of Canada proper.
Crest: The steeple of the Church of St. Catherine at Honfleur in France or.
Motto: (God's will be done)20Roland MichenerEscutcheon: Azure four bendlets interlaced in saltire between in chief a representation of the royal crown of England and in base a fleur de lis or.
Crest: In front of a demi-lion supporting a representation of the mace of the House of Commons of Canada or a plate charged with a maple leaf gules.
Supporters: On the dexter side a deer gules attired and unguled or charged on the shoulder with a plate thereon a rose gules barbed and seeded proper and on the sinister side a deer argent attired and unguled or charged on the shoulder with a torteau thereon a square buckle argent.
Motto: (Free and ordered)21Jules LégerEscutcheon: Bleu celeste in chief an owl affronty hovering argent in base a maple leaf ensigned by the royal crown both or.22Edward Richard SchreyerEscutcheon: Per pale or and vert a pale wavy of four azure and argent in chief a plate displaying a cross gules charged with the royal crown proper; in dexter base a pomeis charged with a garb or and in sinister base a bezant charged with a fir tree vert.