From Sea To Sea / The official motto of Canada is A Mari Usque Ad Mare, which means From Sea To Sea. When the motto appeared, at the time Confederation was created (1867), it was more of a statement of ambition, since at the time Canada was not large enough to be a reality. It was not until British Columbia joined Confederation (1871) that the motto From Sea To Sea really applied to the new Dominion of Canada, which now extended from Atlantic to Pacific.