A Conservative MP is calling for the livestock brand to be officially recognized as a national symbol of Canada, honouring what he described as the rugged legacy of ranchers, farmers and indigenous people. Blacklock's Reporter says MP Steven Bonk (Souris–Moose Mountain, Sask.) introduced Bill C-208 in the Commons, calling the branding iron “a quiet but powerful reminder of who we are.”“It tells a story,” said Bonk. “It represents families who rose before dawn, worked through storms and endured hardships of the land with quiet determination and unwavering faith.”.The bill would add the livestock brand to Parliament’s official inventory of Canadian symbols, alongside the maple leaf, the beaver and the Mountie. Bonk, a fifth-generation rancher, said the motion was deeply personal. “For those of us who have lived the ranching life, a livestock brand is more than a practical tool. It is a legacy.”“In doing so, we honour the immense contributions of ranchers, farmers and indigenous people and we affirm the enduring significance of our Western and frontier heritage in shaping the Canadian identity,” Bonk said..A similar bill introduced last year by then-Conservative MP Damien Kurek (Battle River–Crowfoot, Alta.) did not pass before Parliament dissolved. Kurek called it “a fitting way to recognize a huge part of our country’s history.”Canada’s current national symbols include hockey as the official winter sport, lacrosse as the official summer sport, the Canadian horse as the official breed, and red and white as the official colours. Provincial symbols range from amethyst in Ontario to ptarmigan in Newfoundland and Labrador.An earlier petition to make poutine Canada’s national dish was introduced in 2023 by then-Independent MP Kevin Vuong but was never adopted.
