Canadian heraldry is the cultural tradition and style of coats of arms and other heraldic achievements in both modern and historic Canada.

Use of armorial bearings is not limited to governmental bodies; all citizens of Canada have the right to petition for an award of arms, as do other entities including businesses and religious institutions.

Before the arrival of Europeans, the Indigenous peoples of Canada used symbolic artwork to denote their allegiance to a particular clan or pantribal sodalities, and to show legendary and religious themes.

[1] The history of European-style heraldry in Canada began with the raising of the royal arms of France (modern) by French explorer Jacques Cartier in 1534, when he landed on Canadian soil at what is now known as the Gaspé Peninsula.

[2] From the beginning of the settlement of Canada until the Treaty of Paris in 1763, armorial bearings were largely either brought from France or awarded by the French crown.

[2] After Confederation, however, heraldry in Canada became more widespread, including grants of arms to the provinces, various educational institutions, municipalities, and individuals.

[4] In the period between the Treaty of Paris and Confederation, the Arms of the United Kingdom had served as the emblem of authority within Canada.

[16] As early as 1967, plans were reportedly in the works to transfer overview of heraldry from the College of Arms in the UK to Canada.

[16] In 1986, Vicki Huntington, a politician from British Columbia, forwarded a brief written by the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada calling for the creation of the Canadian Heraldic Authority to a staff member in then-Secretary of State David Crombie's office.

[22][23] They incorporate many distinctive Canadian elements such as the maple leaves, and the reference to the French royal arms in the fourth quarter[24] which replace or add to those derived from the British.

[31] From 1962 until her death in 2022, a banner of the arms, defaced with a variant of the Queen's cypher, formed the Royal Standard of Canada, for use by the Canadian sovereign.

[38] In June 2008, MP Pat Martin introduced a motion into the House of Commons calling on the government to amend the coat of arms to incorporate symbols representing Canada's First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

[41] The year after Confederation, Queen Victoria issued royal warrants assigning arms to Canada's original four provinces: Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

Since 1868, each province and territory within Canada has been granted arms through warrants either from the monarch directly or from the governor general, or has assumed them through other means.

[51] The use of armorial bearings among Canadian cities is inconsistent, because many of them have been assumed and brought into force by local governmental authorities, rather than granted from the Crown.

[64] In both the English[61] and the Scottish[62] systems of heraldry, from which the Canadian draws many of its practices,[16] a woman does not inherit or transmit arms unless she is an heraldic heiress,[70] that is, a daughter of an armiger who has no sons.

[73] Proof of United Empire Loyalist ancestry must be provided to the Canadian Heraldic Authority before permission is granted to use the coronet in arms.

[73] In Canadian heraldry, helmets play little role and are not blazoned; as such, the armiger can display their helm in whatever style they choose.

[54] For an individual to obtain a grant of arms, a petition must be sent to the Chief Herald, providing a biography, references, and completed application forms.