Wikipedia

National Order of Quebec

"O.Q." redirects here. For other uses, seeOQ.

TheNational Order of Quebec,termed officially inFrenchasl'Ordre national du Québec,and inEnglishabbreviation as theOrder of Quebec,is anorder of meritinQuebec.Instituted in 1984 whenLieutenant GovernorJean-Pierre Côtégrantedroyal assentto theLoi sur l'Ordre national du Québec(National Order of Quebec Act),[1][2]the order is administered by theGovernor-in-Counciland is intended to honour current or former Quebec residents for conspicuous achievements in any field,[2]being thus described as the highest honour in Quebec.[3]In 1986, the order was expanded to include honorary membership for people outside Quebec.[4]

National Order of Quebec
Ordre national du Québec
Flag of the order
Awarded by thelieutenant governor of Quebec-in-Council
TypeOrder of merit(provincial)
Established20 June 1984
MottoHonneur au peuple du Québec(Frenchfor 'Homage to the people of Quebec')
EligibilityResidents ofQuebecnominated by the Council and non-Quebecers nominated by thePremier of Quebec
StatusCurrently constituted
FounderGilles Lamontagne
GradesGrand Officer (grand officier/grande officière) (GOQ)
Officer (officier/officière) (OQ)
Knight (chevalier/chevalière) (CQ)
WebsiteOfficial website
Precedence
Next (higher)Venerable Order of Saint John
Next (lower)Saskatchewan Order of Merit

Ribbon barof a Grand Officer

Ribbon bar of an Officer

Ribbon bar of a Knight

Structure and appointment

edit

Although the National Order of Quebec was established with the granting ofroyal assentbyQuebec's lieutenant governorand theCanadian sovereignis thefount of honour,[5]theviceroydoes not, as in other provinces, form an explicit part of the organization. Instead, the monarch's representative is related to the order only by virtue of his or herplace in council,collectively termed thegovernment of Quebec,[6]to which the constitution of the Order of Quebec makes specific reference.[1]

The order contains three grades, each with accordantpost-nominal lettersand place in theCanadian order of precedence for honours, decorations, and medals.They are, in descending hierarchical order:[a][7]

  • Grand Officer (grand officier/grande officière;GOQ)
  • Officer (officier/officière;OQ)
  • Knight (chevalier/chevalière;CQ)

Nominations to the National Order of Quebec are sought in Quebec's daily and weekly media publications and are directed to the Council of the National Order of Quebec, elected by and amongst the members of the order for a period of three years and headed by a president elected by the council for two years.[b][9]This body is mandated to short-list candidates and forward their suggestions to theGovernor-in-Council.[2]Any person born, living, or who has lived in Quebec, save for anyone serving as a Member of theNational Assembly of Quebec,[10]is eligible to be nominated and names may be submitted posthumously.[1]The Cabinet may also, without the input of the Council of the National Order of Quebec, put forward the names of non-Quebecers for appointment as honorary members.[11]Promotion through the grades is possible for both substantive and honorary members.[12]Admission recognizes conspicuous meritorious actions that improve or support Quebec and/or its language and culture.[13]

Insignia

edit
Frederick Andermannwearing the insignia of an Officer in 2013

Upon admission into the Order of Quebec, members are presented with various insignia of the organization—a medallion, miniature, and button.[14]All are administered by the Regulations for the Insignia of the National Order of Quebec and were designed byMadeleine Dansereau,who was inspired by theheraldicelements of theprovincial flag,notably the colours of blue and white used on the order's ribbon and thefleur-de-lis.[15]The badge of a Grand Officer consists of two 18ktgoldplates, in the shape of acrossformed by two 60 millimetres (2.4 in) by 40 millimetres (1.6 in) arms, symmetrically superimposed atop one another 4 mm apart, the obverse face ahigh-polish,rusticatedsurface; at the lower left corner is a white enamelfleur-de-lis.On the reverse of the badge is inscribed the order's motto—Honneur au peuple du Québec(homage to the people of Quebec)—and a serial number at the base of the vertical bar. The badge for Officers is of a nearly identical design, but made of arms 50 millimetres (2.0 in) long by 25 millimetres (0.98 in) wide, the obverse plate in 18k gold with an applied gold fleur-de-lis, and the rear insterling silver.Knights have a medal with a 40 millimetres (1.6 in) diameter, brushed silver medallion with a symmetrically placed, etched cross with arms 30 millimetres (1.2 in) long by 20 millimetres (0.79 in) wide and filled with a highly polished, rusticated surface; a gold fleur-de-lis is mounted at the lower, left side of the cross. Each member will also receive miniature versions of their insignia, identical in appearance save for size: those for all grades being 18 millimetres (0.71 in) wide in each direction or in circumference. A lapel pin is also used for wear on casual civilian clothing.[16]Male members wear their emblems suspended from a 38 millimetres (1.5 in) wide ribbon, at the collar for Grand Officers and Officers, and on a vertical ribbon on a medal bar on the left chest for Knights; women Grand Officers and Officers wear their insignia on a ribbon bow pinned at the left shoulder, and female Knights carry their medals in the same fashion as the men. The ribbon for miniatures is 18 millimetres (0.71 in) wide.[16]

The regulations of the National Order of Quebec stipulate that the premier presents new inductees with their insignia, either on theNational Holiday of Quebecor another day during the National Week.[17]The ceremony takes place in theSalon Rougeof theparliament buildinginQuebec City,though exceptions are sometimes made when inductees cannot be present (notably for some non-Quebecer appointments).[2]The insignia remain property of theCrown in Right of Quebecand must be returned upon a holder's cessation of membership in the society,[18]whether by death or dismissal.[19]

Inductees

edit

The following are some notable appointees into the National Order of Quebec:[20]

Quebec inductees

edit

Grand Officer

edit

Officer

edit

Knight

edit

Non-Quebec inductees

edit

Honorary Grand Officer

edit

Honorary Officer

edit

Honorary Knight

edit

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^The grade titles in French aregendered;they are given here with the male versions first.
  2. ^As of November 2023,members of the Council of the National Order of Quebec are:Claudine Roy,President;Paul Grand'Maison,Vice-President;Françoise Bertrand;Neil Bissoondath;Jean-Claude Poitras;Liza Frulla;Jacques Girard;John R. Porter;andJean-Louis Roy.[8]

References

edit
  1. ^abcElizabeth II(20 June 1984),Loi sur l'Ordre national du Québec,I.3 (in French), Ville de Québec: Éditeur officiel du Québec
  2. ^abcdBingham, Russell, "Culture > Awards > National Order of Québec (L'ordre national du Québec)", in Marsh, James H. (ed.),The Canadian Encyclopedia,Toronto: Historica Foundation of Canada,retrieved14 August2009
  3. ^"Goals and objectives of the Ordre".National Order of Quebec, Government of Quebec.Retrieved11 November2023.It is the highest award Québec bestows.
  4. ^"Background - About the Order".National Order of Quebec, Government of Quebec.Retrieved11 November2023.
  5. ^Royal Canadian Mounted Police,Honours and Recognition Programs > Canadian National Honours,Queen's Printer for Canada,archived fromthe originalon 23 March 2009,retrieved20 May2009
  6. ^Victoria(1 July 1867),Constitution Act, 1867,66, Westminster: Queen's Printer
  7. ^Elizabeth II 1984,I.2
  8. ^"Board members".National Order of Quebec, Government of Quebec. 2 October 2023.Retrieved11 November2023.
  9. ^Elizabeth II 1984,II 10-II.12
  10. ^Elizabeth II 1984,I.7
  11. ^Elizabeth II 1984,I.4
  12. ^Elizabeth II 1984,I.6
  13. ^Ministère du Conseil exécutif,Qu'est-ce que l'Ordre national? > Appel public de candidatures(in French), Éditeur officiel du Québec,retrieved15 August2009
  14. ^Elizabeth II(1985),Règlement sur les insignes de l'Ordre national du Québec,I.2 (in French), Ville de Québec: Éditeur officiel du Québec
  15. ^"Titles, insignia and symbols".National Order of Quebec, Government of Quebec.Retrieved11 November2023.
  16. ^abElizabeth II 1985,I.3-I.14
  17. ^Elizabeth II 1985,III.19-III.20
  18. ^Elizabeth II 1984,III.23
  19. ^Elizabeth II 1984,III.24
  20. ^"Members of the Ordre national du Québec".National Order of Quebec, Government of Quebec.Retrieved11 November2023.
  21. ^"Prime Minister announces The Queen's approval of Canada's next Governor General".Canadian Government.6 July 2021.Retrieved8 July2021.
  22. ^"Mary Simon, Officière (1992)".National Order of Quebec.27 September 2011.Retrieved8 July2021.
  23. ^"Samuel Pierre - Knight of the Ordre national du Québec - National Order of Quebec".Awards and Honors.5 February 2015.Retrieved9 January2024.
  24. ^"Jean Wilkins – Ordre national du Québec".www.ordre-national.gouv.qc.ca.Retrieved14 November2024.
  25. ^"Paul Zumthor – Ordre national du Québec".
edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related toNational Order of Quebec.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Order_of_Quebec&oldid=1274326659"