Jump to content

Flag of Quebec

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Québec
Fleurdelisé
UseCivilandstate flagSmall vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagSmall vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagFlag can be hung vertically by hoisting on a normal pole, then turning the pole 90°
Proportion2:3
AdoptedJanuary 21, 1948;76 years ago(1948-01-21)
DesignA blue field charged with asymmetric crossbetween fourfleurs-de-lis
Designed byRené Chaloult[1]
This article is part of
a series about
Maurice Duplessis
Pre-premiership politics (1923-1935)

Politics

Economy

Legacy and cultural references

Theflag of Quebec(drapeau du Québec), called theFleurdeliséinFrench,represents theCanadian provinceofQuebec.It consists of a whitecrosson a blue background, with four whitefleurs-de-lis.[2]

It was the first provincial flag officially adopted inCanadaand was originally shown on January 21, 1948, at theParliament BuildinginQuebec City,during the administration ofMaurice Duplessis.Legislation governing its usage was enacted on March 9, 1950. Quebec'sFlag Day(January 21) commemorates its adoption each year, although for some time it was celebrated in May.[3]

Status

[edit]

Article 2 of theAct respecting the flag and emblems of Québecconfers the status ofnational emblem(French:emblème national) on the flag of Quebec.[4][5]

Symbolism

[edit]
Official flag with 2:3 proportions

TheFleurdelisétakes its white cross over a blue field from certainFrench flagsof theKingdom of France,namely the French naval flag as well as the French merchant flag. Its whitefleurs-de-lis(symbolizing purity) and blue field (symbolizing heaven) come from a banner honouringthe Virgin Mary;[6]such banners were carried by Canadian colonial militia in the 18th century.[6]The fleurs-de-lis, as a symbol has often been associated with France, specifically theKingdom of France.The flag isblazonedAzure, a cross between four fleurs-de-lis argent.[7]Its horizontal symmetry allows both sides of the flag to show the same image.

Bourbon flag

[edit]

Theroyal banner of Franceor "Bourbon flag" was the first and most commonly used flag inNew France.[8][9][10][11]The banner has three gold fleurs-de-lis on a dark blue field (arranged two and one), and it was also present on the French naval flag.

Protocol

[edit]
A 1:2Fleurdeliséon display
Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagUnofficial (but commonly seen) 1:2 variant

The flag's official ratio is 2:3 (width to length), but the flag is very often seen as a 1:2 variant to match theflag of Canadain size when flying together.

TheAct respecting the flag and emblems of Québecstates that "in all cases, the flag of Quebec has precedence over any other flag or emblem."[5]However, under federal protocol, the Canadian flag takes precedence when both are flown.[12]

The official shade of blue isPantone293. In8-bitRGB,it is #003399.[13]Unofficial variants using a lighter blue are common.[14]

Vertical display

[edit]
Vertical display of the flag

The canton (canton d'honneur;top left quarter) must always be to the viewer's left.[15]

History

[edit]
The green, white and red tricolour used by theParti patriotebetween 1832 and 1838

The desire of Quebecers for a distinctive flag was longstanding. Other flags that had been used included theParti Patrioteflag (a horizontal green, white and redtricolour,which became the flag of theSaint-Jean-Baptiste Society), as well as the French tricolour.

The direct predecessor of the modernFleurdeliséwas created by Elphège Filiatrault, a parish priest inSaint-Jude, Quebec.[7]Called theCarillon[fr],it resembles the modern flag except that the fleurs-de-lis are located at the corners, pointing inward. It was based on an earlier flag with no cross, and with the figure of the Virgin Mary in the centre.

TheCarillonflag was first raised on September 26, 1902, and it is preserved in the archives ofSaint-Hyacinthe,Quebec. Another version, with theSacred Heartin the centre, also appeared, but it was left behind in the push for a new provincial flag afterWorld War II.TheCarillonflags were used informally.

On May 26, 1868,Queen VictoriaapprovedQuebec's first coat of arms.A flag might have been devised by using the arms to deface ablue ensignorred ensign(aUnion Flagin thecanton,and the Quebec coat of arms in the fly). However, such ensigns were never used — various sources including the official Quebec government site[16]mention that it was theUnion Flagthat flew over theParliament Buildinguntil January 21, 1948, not a blue or red ensign. In addition, in 1938, at the opening of a mining school inVal-d'Or,the flag used to represent the Quebec government was a banner of arms. This was done at the behest of public servant Burroughs Pelletier,[17]who had been told that the Ministry wanted a symbol but were unsure as to what should be used.

Former flags for Quebec and previous proposals for a new one
TheUnion Flagflew at the Parliament Building in Quebec from 1 July 1867 to 20 January 1948. Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagThe hypothetical and never-used Quebec Blue Ensign (including pre-1939 Coat of arms) Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagThe hypothetical and never-used Quebec Blue Ensign (including post-1939 Coat of arms) TheCarillon Sacré-Coeur,a flag waved by French Canadian Roman Catholics until the 1950s The originalFleurdeliséused on February 2, 1948 Flag proposals prepared by Burroughs Pelletier

In 1947, an independent member of the Legislative Assembly,René Chaloult,demanded a new provincial flag to displace the unpopular (amongst some segment of the population of Quebec) Union Jack andCanadian Red Ensign.Various ideas were discussed between Chaloult,Lionel GroulxandMaurice Duplessis.One such idea involved incorporating a red maple leaf (later to be adopted for the flag of Canada). Pelletier was also asked to present a few proposals to Duplessis, none of which were adopted. He was however consulted about what became the present design.

On January 21, 1948, the new flag was adopted and was flown over the Parliament Building that very afternoon. Apparently, it was theCarillonflag that flew that day, because the modernFleurdelisé(with the fleurs-de-lis repositioned upright to their modern configuration in correspondence with the rules ofheraldry) was not available until February 2.[18]

The flag was adopted byorder-in-council,and the news was presented to the Legislative Assembly more or less as afait accompli.Opposition leaderAdélard Godboutexpressed his approval, as did Chaloult. A law governing the usage of the flag was later officially adopted by the Quebec Parliament on March 9, 1950. A more recent version of such a law was adopted in 2002.

A 2001 survey by theNorth American Vexillological Associationranked theFleurdeliséas the best provincial or territorial flag, and the third-best of the flags of all U.S. and Canadian provinces, territories and states, behind the flags ofNew MexicoandTexasrespectively.[19]Likewise, the flag is highly popular in Quebec, and it is often seen displayed at many private residences and commercial buildings.

The flag of Quebec bears a close resemblance to both the FrenchChâlons-en-Champagnecity coat of arms and the SpanishMorcínmunicipality flag, which use similar (though unrelated) designs but with differing colours.

The coat of arms ofChâlons-en-Champagne,France The municipal flag ofMorcín,Spain

The flag of Quebec was the basis for the jerseys of theQuebec Nordiques,which included the same shade of blue, the fleurs-de-lis and white stripes.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^"75 ans pour le drapeau national du Québec".Radio-Canada.ca.Jan 19, 2018.
  2. ^Smith, Whitney(January 26, 2001)."Flag of Quebec".Encyclopaedia Britannica.
  3. ^"Chapitre D-12.1 Loi Sur le Drapeau et les Emblèmes du Québec"[Québec Flag and Emblems Act].Publications Québec.RetrievedJanuary 21,2021.
  4. ^"Drapeau et symboles nationaux"[Flag and National Symbols].Justice Québec.Archived fromthe originalon April 17, 2008.RetrievedJanuary 21,2021.
  5. ^ab"An Act respecting the Flag and emblems of Québec, R.S.Q. c. D-12.1".CanLII.RetrievedJanuary 21,2021.
  6. ^abJames Minahan (23 December 2009).The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems.p. 734.ISBN9780313344978.
  7. ^ab"Province of Quebec".Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada.Official website of the Governor General.RetrievedNovember 8,2021.
  8. ^New York State Historical Association (1915).Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association with the Quarterly Journal: 2nd-21st Annual Meeting with a List of New Members.The Association.It is most probable that the Bourbon Flag was used during the greater part of the occupancy of the French in the region extending southwest from the St. Lawrence to the Mississippi, known as New France... The French flag was probably blue at that time with three golden fleur - de - lis....
  9. ^Vachon, Auguste; Matheson, John (November 29, 2019)."National Flag of Canada".The Canadian Encyclopedia.At the time of New France (1534 to the 1760s), two flags could be viewed as having national status. The first was the banner of France — a blue square flag bearing three gold fleurs-de-lys. It was flown above fortifications in the early years of the colony. For instance, it was flown above the lodgings of Pierre Du Gua de Monts at Île Sainte-Croix in 1604. There is some evidence that the banner also flew above Samuel de Champlain's habitation in 1608...... the completely white flag of the French Royal Navy was flown from ships, forts and sometimes at land-claiming ceremonies.
  10. ^"CANADA 150 Years of History ~ The story behind the flag".INQUINTE.CA.July 17, 2017.When Canada was settled as part of France and dubbed "New France," two flags gained national status. One was the Royal Banner of France. This featured a blue background with three gold fleurs-de-lis. A white flag of the French Royal Navy was also flown from ships and forts and sometimes flown at land-claiming ceremonies.
  11. ^W. Stewart Wallace(1948).The Encyclopedia of Canada,Vol. II, Toronto, University Associates of Canada.pp. 350–351.During the French régime in Canada, there does not appear to have been any French national flag in the modern sense of the term. The "Banner of France", which was composed of fleur-de-lys on a blue field, came nearest to being a national flag, since it was carried before the king when he marched to battle, and thus in some sense symbolized the kingdom of France. During the later period of French rule, it would seem that the emblem...was a flag showing the fleur-de-lys on a white ground.... as seen in Florida. There were, however, 68 flags authorized for various services by Louis XIV in 1661; and a number of these were doubtless used in New France
  12. ^"Position of honour of the National Flag of Canada".Ministry of Culture, History and Sport.9 January 2018.RetrievedJanuary 21,2021.The order of precedence for flags is: The National Flag of Canada; The flags of other sovereign nations in Alpha betical order (if applicable); The flags of the provinces of Canada (in the order in which they joined Confederation); The flags of the territories of Canada (in the order in which they joined Confederation)...It is important to note that the following flags take precedence over the National Flag on buildings where one of the dignitaries are in residence or where they are attending a function: Her Majesty's Personal Canadian Flag; the standards of members of the Royal Family; the standard of the Governor General; and the standard of the Lieutenant Governor (in his or her province of jurisdiction and when assuming the duties of the representative of the Queen).
  13. ^"Normes d'utilisations / Signature du gouvernement du Québec"(PDF).mdeie.gouv.qc.ca.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 8 April 2014.Retrieved20 February2018.
  14. ^"Quebec (Canada)".Flags of the World.Retrieved20 February2018.
  15. ^Lévesque, Jacques et Eugénie (1974).Le drapeau québécois.Québec: Éditeur officiel du Québec.ISBN978-0775430264.
  16. ^"Drapeau et symboles nationaux".Gouvernement du Québec. Archived fromthe originalon Dec 12, 2018.RetrievedMay 31,2019.
  17. ^Father ofJean Pelletier
  18. ^Bouvier, Luc (April 12, 2004)."Histoire des drapeaux québécois: du tricolore canadien au fleurdelisé québécois".HeraldicAmerica(in French).RetrievedJanuary 21,2021– via Impératif français.
  19. ^Kaye, Ted (April–June 2001)."New Mexico Tops State/Provincial Flags Survey"(PDF).NAVA News.34(2, Issue 170): 4–5. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on Jan 18, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 21,2021.

References

[edit]

In English

[edit]

In French

[edit]
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related toFlag of Quebec.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_Quebec&oldid=1248164462"