Flag of Quebec

The flag of Quebec (), called the in French (), represents the Canadian province of Quebec. It consists of a white cross on a blue background, with four white fleurs-de-lis.

It was the first provincial flag officially adopted in Canada and was originally shown on January 21, 1948, at the Parliament Building in Quebec City, during the administration of Maurice Duplessis. Legislation governing its usage was enacted on March 9, 1950. Quebec's Flag Day (January 21) commemorates its adoption each year, although for some time it was celebrated in May.

Status

Article 2 of the Act respecting the flag and emblems of Québec confers the status of national emblem () on the flag of Quebec.

Symbolism

thumb|left|Official flag with 3-2 proportions

The takes its white cross over a blue field from certain French flags of the Kingdom of France, namely the French naval flag as well as the French merchant flag. Its white fleurs-de-lis (symbolizing purity) and blue field (symbolizing heaven) come from a banner honouring the Virgin Mary; The fleurs-de-lis, as a symbol has often been associated with France, specifically the Kingdom of France. The flag is blazoned Azure, a cross between four fleurs-de-lis argent. Its horizontal symmetry allows both sides of the flag to show the same image.

Bourbon flag

The royal banner of France or "Bourbon flag" was the first and most commonly used flag in New France. 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.

File:Naval Flag of the Kingdom of France (Civil Ensign).svg| Naval flag of the Kingdom of France

File:Royal Flag of France.svg| The royal banner of France or "Bourbon flag"

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Protocol

thumb|A 2-1 on display

thumb|Unofficial (but commonly seen) 2-1 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 the flag of Canada in size when flying together.

The Act respecting the flag and emblems of Québec states that "in all cases, the flag of Quebec has precedence over any other flag or emblem."

The official shade of blue is Pantone 293. In 8-bit RGB, it is #003399. Unofficial variants using a lighter blue are common.

Vertical display

thumb| Vertical display of the flag

The canton (; top left quarter) must always be to the viewer's left.

History

thumb|left|150px|The green, white and red tricolour used by the between 1832 and 1838

The desire of ethnic French Canadians for a distinctive flag was longstanding. Other flags that had been used included the flag (a horizontal green, white and red tricolour, which became the flag of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society), as well as the French tricolour.

The direct predecessor of the modern was created by Elphège Filiatrault, a parish priest in Saint-Jude, Quebec. mention that it was the Union Flag that flew over the Parliament Building until January 21, 1948, not a blue or red ensign. In addition, in 1938, at the opening of a mining school in Val-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, who had been told that the Ministry wanted a symbol but were unsure as to what should be used.

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| align=center | Former flags for Quebec and previous proposals for a new one

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|align=center | The Union Flag flew at the Parliament Building in Quebec from July 1, 1867 to January 20, 1948.

|align=center | The hypothetical and never-used Quebec Blue Ensign (including pre-1939 coat of arms)

|align=center | The hypothetical and never-used Quebec Blue Ensign (including post-1939 coat of arms)

|align=center | The , a flag waved by French Canadian Roman Catholics until the 1950s

| align="center" | The original used on February 2, 1948

| align="center" | 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 and Canadian Red Ensign. Various ideas were discussed between Chaloult, Lionel Groulx and Maurice 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.

thumb|Proposed flag of French-Canadians, 1903

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

The flag was adopted by order-in-council, and the news was presented to the Legislative Assembly more or less as a . Opposition leader Adélard Godbout expressed 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 the North American Vexillological Association ranked the as 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 of New Mexico and Texas respectively. 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 French Châlons-en-Champagne city coat of arms and the Spanish Morcín municipality flag, which use similar (though unrelated) designs but with differing colours.

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|align=center | The coat of arms of Châlons-en-Champagne, France

|align=center | The municipal flag of Morcín, Spain

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

Notes

References

In English

ANQ. "An Act respecting the Flag and emblems of Québec", in CanLII. Federation of Law Societies of Canada, updated to May 1, 2008
MRIQ. "Québec flag protocol", in the site of the Ministère des Relations internationales, 2006
Fraser, Alistair B. "Chapter XV: Quebec", in The Flags of Canada, January 30, 1998

In French

"", in the site of the Government of Quebec, updated on January 14, 2008
. [Québec, Qué.]: , 2001. N.B.: Imprint and date appear on a sticker at the end of the document.
Bouvier, Luc. "", in HeraldicAmerica (first published in in 1994 and in 1996)
Tremblay, Joël and Gaudreau, Serge. "21 janvier 1948 – Adoption par l'Assemblée législative du fleurdelisé comme drapeau officiel du Québec", in Bilan du siècle, , May 18, 2005
Bureau de normalisation du Québec (2004). , Sainte-Foy, 24 pages
Gouvernement du Québec (1998). , Quebec: , 23 pages
Bizier, Hélène-Andrée, Claude Paulette, , Montreal: Art global, 1997, 152 pages
Robitaille, René (August 1983). , Quebec: , 34 pages
Archambault, Jacques et Eugénie Lévesque, , Quebec: , 1974, 78 pages
BnQ (1973). ,
Magnan, Charles-Joseph (1939). , Quebec: , 44 pages (edition digitized by the BAnQ)

External links

Proposals for a flag of Quebec, 1900–1902
Proposals for a flag of Quebec, 1903–1904 (various versions of the Carillon flag)
Arms and flag of Quebec in the online Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges