Lincoln Alexander, Emergency Responders, and Women in Winter Sports among new stamps to be issued in 2018

HM The Queen's coronation and Memorial Cup anniversaries also celebrated

OTTAWA, Nov. 10, 2017 /CNW/ - The 2018 Stamp Program once again sets out to inform, enlighten and entertain Canadians with stamps that tell the stories of the people, places and events that make this country so amazing.

"Our stamps reflect the interesting, often beautiful, and sometimes heroic things that make us who we are as a nation," says Deepak Chopra, President and CEO of Canada Post. "In this huge, culturally diverse country, there's something in the program to interest everyone."

Look for these exciting new stamps in 2018:

• From Far and Wide tours some of Canada's most picturesque locations through nine breathtaking stamps, including "Jellybean Row" in St. John's (N.L.), Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park (B.C.), Arctic Bay (Nunavut) and Point Pelee National Park (Ont.).
• Five of Canada's most accomplished athletes share the podium in Women in Winter Sports.
• Black History Month celebrates trailblazers Lincoln Alexander, the first Black Member of Parliament, federal cabinet minister and the 24^th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and activist and humanitarian Kay Livingstone.
• Two exquisite varieties of lotus emerge for our annual flower stamps.
• The work of five talented Canadian Illustrators is featured on new stamps
• Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II graces a new commemorative, 65 years after her coronation.
• Native Bees of Canada will cause a buzz with two striking stamps.
• The Memorial Cup scores big with a special issue marking its 100^th anniversary.
• Astronomy stamps light up the night sky, on the occasion of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's 150^th anniversary.
• Sharks in Canadian Waters depict five denizens of the deep.
• Everyday heroes from five life-saving lines of work receive a salute in Emergency Responders.
• A majestic Bighorn sheep scales a new $3 stamp.

Back for a repeat performance are the following issues:

• Lunar New Year celebrates the loyal and likeable folks born in the Year of the Dog.
• An encore of the popular Weather Wonders series is in the forecast.
• Birds of Canada takes its third and final flight.
• A new Canada Post Community Foundation stamp is poised to help raise funds for youth in need.

Next year's Christmas issues will feature original illustrations of both the Nativity and the warm, woolly items that keep us cozy in winter.

In addition, Canada Post will issue two commemorative envelopes in 2018, to mark the 100^th anniversaries of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and The War Amps.

Many stamp topics are the result of suggestions from the Canadian public or organizations that wish to honour a significant person, milestone or event. Canada Post welcomes suggestions for the 2019 program and beyond.

SOURCE Canada Post