The Scots have deep roots in Quebec and one woman in Ormstown, about an hour south of Montreal, is taking steps to ensure that history is further recognized by the Quebec government.
In 2019, Linda Janes began to take steps to have the Quebec tartan officially recognized by the province.
“I believe that we should be proud of it and recognize that it is part of Quebec that it is part of the history of Quebec,” she told Global News from her living room while sewing a cloth mask made from the material.
A tartan is a plaid fabric traditionally associated with Scottish families, each family having its own design. Over time, however, tartans were also made for organizations — for example, the military — as well as places.
The Quebec tartan was designed for the province in the mid ’60s, “as were tartans for other (Canadian) provinces for Canada’s Centennial,” said Bruce Bolton, former president of the St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal. He’s also a retired military commander of the Black Watch (RHR) of Canada, which has its own tartan worn by Scottish soldiers for centuries.
“The Quebec tartan has never been officially recognized by the province,” said Janes.
She discovered the tartan in the ’90s. Shortly after that, members of the Quebec Women’s Institute, an organization that advocates for women’s issues, adopted it to be worn for formal occasions.
“People use it to make kilts, jackets, scarves,” she said while sporting her own jacket made from the material.
It wasn’t until 2019, though, that she began looking into its history and found out it’s even registered in the Scottish Register of Tartans.
“The name of it is Plaid du Québec,” she said.
According to the information on the website, “The designers of the Plaid du Quebec circa 1965 are recorded as Rotex Limited, believed to be a clothing manufacturer. The structure and colours of the tartan are based on the three horizontal divisions of the provincial shield.”
Janes’ initiative has the support of her local provincial representative, Claire IsaBelle, who represents the electoral district of Huntingdon. IsaBelle tabled a petition at the provincial legislature last fall to have the tartan officially adopted by Quebec.
Scottish history in Quebec goes back four centuries, a reality marked in Montreal through various events, like the annual Montreal Highland Games, the St. Andrew’s Ball and institutions like McGill University.
In 2017 the city was given its own tartan.
“The St. Andrew’s Society put together a Montreal 1642 tartan, which was composed of a number of colours based on organizations in the city,” explained Bolton.
In 2003 the Quebec national assembly officially recognized Tartan Day, which is celebrated April 6.
Janes’ push to have the Plaid du Québec officially recognized by the province has the support of Christopher Skeete, parliamentary assistant to the premier for relations with English-speaking Quebecers.
“I think it’s important for us to recognize not only our French history,” he said, “but our unique history of Irish descendants, Scottish descendants.”
Janes believes that adopting the tartan is the right thing to do, even if she isn’t Scottish. She pointed out that her ancestry is part Irish, a fact underscored by a shillelagh (a walking stick associated with Irish culture) standing in a corner of her living room.
She is hopeful that the tartan will be adopted. People have until Feb. 10 to sign the petition.
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