" Ton Bras Sait Porter L'Épée "

The ship's badge blazon is as follows:

"A coronet of fleur-de-lis and maple leaves superimposed upon a stylized mountain which borders a river."

 
B&W Canadian Navy Photo
    of HMCS Montreal

"The badge honours the city of Montreal, the ship's namesake city. The river depicted is the St. Lawrence and the mountain is Mount Royal, so named by Jacques Cartier in 1535. The dominant fleur-de-lis recognizes the the city's role as the leading metropolis of the province of Quebec, just as the maple leaves attest to the city's national importance as well as to the ship's status as a Canadian ship of war."

The official colours of the badge are blue and silver.

HMCS Montreal's motto is "Ton Bras Sait Porter L'Épée" which translates from French as "Ready to Fight". The motto is also derived from the original French version of Canada's national anthem.

Text in italic from:
CANADIAN DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, 1995. Bienvenue a bord du NCSM Montréal FFH 336 / Welcome aboard HMCS Montreal FFH 336, Ottawa, ON, Canada: Canadian Department of National Defence.

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