Rooted in Quebec's history and identity, the sugaring-off season comes to life in an illustrated stamp issue.
MONTRÉAL, March 19, 2026 /CNW/ - Maple taffy in sticky little hands. The lively strains of a fiddle playing and spoons tapping. The comforting taste of hot pea soup. This spring, just as the scents, sounds and tastes of the season come to life at sugar shacks, Canada Post is issuing two stamps in the form of maple syrup cans. Unveiled today in Montréal at the Cabane Panache Festival, the stamps celebrate sugaring-off season and pay tribute to Quebec's iconic sugar shacks.
Traditions that transcend generations
The traditions surrounding sugaring-off season are so important in Quebec that they are officially part of the province's intangible heritage. Indigenous Peoples of the Eastern Woodlands, including the W8banakiak (Abenakis), the Anishinaabeg (Anishinabe), the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and the Mi'gmaq (Mi'kmaq) were producing maple products long before the arrival of European settlements. They shared their ancestral knowledge with early French colonists, who adapted their methods over time.
In the 1850s, the forerunners of modern sugar shacks began to appear – small shelters where maple sap was boiled, and that became social gathering places. A significant part of syrup production has been automated since then, and although sugar bushes have grown in size, artisanal techniques are still in practice.
Today, Quebec produces 90% of Canada's maple syrup and over 70% of global production.
About the stamps
The stamps, booklet and Official First Day Cover (OFDC) are the work of illustrator Gérard DuBois and graphic design firm Paprika. Inspired by popular, commercial and advertising art from the 1940s and 1950s, the illustrations evoke colourful scenes of people enjoying shared meals and time outside. They portray the sugar shack as a place of gathering, enjoyment and tradition.
This stamp issue includes a booklet of six Permanent™ domestic rate stamps and an OFDC. Both are available at canadapost.ca and at retail outlets across the country. The OFDC bears a maple leaf cancellation in Saint-Georges, a Quebec city where the Festival beauceron de l'érable is held every year.
More resources:
- Folder with high-resolution images
- Canada Post social media accounts - Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
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SOURCE Canada Post
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