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Nelson Mandela stamp unveiled by Canada Post

Canada Post unveiled a new stamp on Tuesday to commemorate the life of South Africa’s anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela and his relationship with Canada.

The stamp, unveiled at Nelson Mandela Park Public School in Toronto, features a photograph taken on Mandela’s first visit to Canada in 1990, just four months after his release from prison. The South African flag and the country's landscape can be seen in the background.

Mandela was a prominent international figure for more than half a century, first as a leading human rights campaigner in South Africa and then as the world's best-known political prisoner.

After spending 27 years in prison, he became the leader of the anti-apartheid struggle, and then the first president of a democratic South Africa.

He died in December 2013 at his home in Johannesburg after a prolonged lung infection. He was 95.

Mandela visited Canada three times and called Canada a home away from home. He received the Order of Canada and became an honorary Canadian citizen.

"Our stamp program seeks to tell the stories of people who have had a powerful effect on our society, and Nelson Mandela's story is among the most powerful,” Deepak Chopra, president and CEO of Canada Post, said in a release.

Good timing, Tory says

Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, who attended the unveiling, recalled Mandela's 2001 visit to the Toronto school that's now named after him.

"It's a great day for the students of this school who have this connection and it's a great day for Canadians who have this admiration for Nelson Mandela," he said.

Toronto Mayor John Tory called the release of the stamp "good timing," as it will become available just in time for Black History Month in February.

The stamp, measuring 32 by 32 millimetres, comes in booklets of 10 and will be available for purchase on Jan. 30. An official first day cover and souvenir sheet with an international rate stamp are also available.