Why is the loon an important symbol of Canada?

The loon is a national symbol because a crown corporation lost the original dies to our dollar coin.

The Loon has grown in popularity as more and more Canadians moved to the cities from rural and remote areas. Loons do not like dirty city lakes and as a result were only seen by urban Canadians when they visited the cottage or while camping. The haunting call of the loon became connected with the wilds of Canada, with our vast wilderness rarely seen but loved by most Canadians.

Which is why in many ways it was always the better choice for our dollar coin. The official or first choice was yet another image of the voyagers. Those images are very much a political statement by just one Canadian culture and do not represent anything but a small part of Canada. In some parts of Canada they actual have negative connotations.

The Loon on the other hand has few political connotations and connects all Canadians with their love of the wilderness. A wilderness they rarely get to visit but none the less always know it is there.

When the dies for the new dollar coin with the Voyagers symbol "disappeared" in Western Canada the second choice the Loon became the final, and best choice.

It was that choice that put the image of the Loon into the hands of all Canadians and made it above many other great birds an unofficial National symbol of Canada.