Quebec’s flag celebrates 65 years

QUEBEC CITY – Quebec commemorated the 65th anniversary of the province’s flag on Monday.

The white and blue fleur-de-lis flag was first raised on top of the National Assembly in Quebec City on January 21, 1948 when Premier Maurice Duplessis was in power. It replaced the Union Jack.

Premier Pauline Marois said Monday that the flag is a powerful symbol of everything Quebecers have accomplished and she confirmed that the fleur-de-lis will be celebrated every year on January 21.

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Fleur-de-lis
The symbol of the fleur-de-lis crossed the Atlantic Ocean with European settlers. Its heraldic design features three petals, typically associated with the Holy Trinity, while the band along the bottom historically refers to the Virgin Mary.

Its inclusion on flags, coats of arms, military badges and sports uniforms usually indicates a link to French culture or involvement of French settlers in the history of the town or region concerned.

In addition to Quebec’s flag, the fleur-de-lis also appears on the Canadian coat of arms, the flags of Montreal, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières, the military badges for the Israeli Intelligence Corps and the WWI Canadian Expeditionary Force, as well as several sports teams’ uniforms, including the Montreal Impact Major League Soccer team, the former Quebec Nordiques National Hockey League team and the former Montreal Expos Major League Baseball team.

SOUND OFF: What does the Quebec flag and the fleur-de-lis mean to you? Is it an important symbol for Anglophones too? Let us know on Facebook.