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| Fleurdelisé | |
| Use | Civil andstate flag   |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | January 21, 1948; 77 years ago (1948-01-21) |
| Design | A blue field charged with asymmetric cross between fourfleurs-de-lis |
| Designed by | René Chaloult[1] |
Theflag of Quebec (drapeau du Québec), called theFleurdelisé inFrench, represents theCanadian province ofQuebec. It consists of a whitecross on a blue background, with four whitefleurs-de-lis.[2]
It was the first provincial flag officially adopted inCanada and was originally shown on January 21, 1948, at theParliament Building inQuebec 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]
Article 2 of theAct respecting the flag and emblems of Québec confers the status ofnational emblem (French:emblème national) on the flag of Quebec.[4][5]
TheFleurdelisé takes its white cross over a blue field from certainFrench flags of 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.
Theroyal banner of France or "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.
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Naval flag of theKingdom of France
Theroyal banner of France or "Bourbon flag"
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Unofficial (but commonly seen) 2-1 variantThe 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 Canada in size when flying together.
TheAct respecting the flag and emblems of Québec states 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 isPantone 293. In8-bitRGB, it is #003399.[13] Unofficial variants using a lighter blue are common.[14]
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Vertical display of the flagThe canton (canton d'honneur; top left quarter) must always be to the viewer's left.[15]
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The desire of ethnicFrench Canadians for a distinctive flag was longstanding. Other flags that had been used included theParti Patriote flag (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 modernFleurdelisé was 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.
TheCarillon flag was first raised on September 26, 1902, and it is preserved in the archives ofSaint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. Another version, with theSacred Heart in the centre, also appeared, but it was left behind in the push for a new provincial flag afterWorld War II. TheCarillon flags were used informally.
On May 26, 1868,Queen Victoria approvedQuebec's first coat of arms. A flag might have been devised by using the arms to deface ablue ensign orred ensign (aUnion Flag in 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 Flag that flew over theParliament Building until 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
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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 Groulx andMaurice 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 theCarillon flag 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 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 theNorth American Vexillological Association ranked theFleurdelisé 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 ofNew Mexico andTexas respectively.[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-Champagne city coat of arms and the SpanishMorcín municipality flag, which use similar (though unrelated) designs but with differing colours.
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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.
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 ....
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.
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.
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
The order of precedence for flags is: The National Flag of Canada; The flags of other sovereign nations in alphabetical 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).
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