(Ottawa) On April 6, 2001, at a celebration marking the 150^th anniversary of Canadian postal service, Mr. Ian E. Wilson, National Archivist, announced a three-year agreement between the National Archives of Canada and Canada Post.

The agreement was to create a virtual postal archive, which will provide collectors and researchers with on-line access to philatelic and postal holdings of the National Archives.

“The National Archives of Canada preserves and maintains our collection with the utmost of care, doing everything within our power to provide accessibility to all Canadians from coast to coast to coast,” said Mr. Wilson. “This marks the basis for our mandate: to unite Canadians with their past and their history”.

During the celebration, a new 47-cent stamp capturing the art of the now-famous “Three Pence Beaver” was unveiled.

As well, an exhibition of every Canadian stamp issued over the past 150 years was created by the National Archives. The exhibition was open to the public at Canada Post on Saturday April 8 and Sunday April 9. This exhibition marked the first time in over a decade that the entire stamp collection was available for viewing outside the National Archives.

Virtual Canadian Postal Archives