Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Vancouver, 1987

The ninth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will take place in Vancouver from 13 to 17 October 1987. These meetings are held every two years. Canada last hosted the Heads of Government meeting in 1973. Having evolved out of the British Empire, the Commonwealth defines itself as "a voluntary association of independent sovereign states, each responsible for its own policies, consulting and co-operating in the common interests of their peoples and in the promotion of international understanding and world peace". Canada participates in and helps fund various Commonwealth bodies such as the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-Operation, the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, the Commonwealth Youth Program and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The Commonwealth symbol, adapted several years ago and already appearing on many stamps from around the world, is the dominant design element of this stamp. To give the symbol prominence, Vancouver designer Gus Tsetsekas makes subtle use of silver ink on a metallic blue background, with the typographical elements appearing discreetly in harmony with the overall design.