Symbols of Quebec

Last updated December 16, 2024

The people and province of Quebec have created and established several symbols throughout Quebec's history to represent the collective identity of its residents. Many of Quebec's symbols are related to its history, to Catholicism, to Quebec's winters and/or the fauna and flora of Quebec. The motif most commonly seen in Quebec's various symbols is the fleur de lys, which is associated with the French language and New France.^[1]

Symbols

The fleur-de-lis, one of Quebec's most common symbols, is an ancient symbol of the French monarchy and was first shown in Quebec on the shores of Gaspésie in 1534 when Jacques Cartier arrived in Quebec for the first time. Saint-Jean-Baptiste, the patron saint of Canadiens, is honoured every 24 June during Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. The expression La belle province is still used as a nickname for the province. Finally, the Great Seal of Quebec is used to authenticate documents issued by the government of Quebec.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of Quebec dates back to 1868, shortly after the creation of Quebec as a province of Canada. The arms were granted by a royal warrant issued by Queen Victoria.

The arms were adopted in their current form by the government of Quebec in 1939 to reflect Quebec's political history: the French regime is symbolised by the gold fleur-de-lis on a blue background; the British regime is symbolised by a gold lion on a red background; the pre-Confederation period is symbolised by three green maple leaves on a gold background.^[1]

Flag

The government of Quebec adopted the Fleurdelisé flag in 1948. The cross represents the faith of the province's founders, while the fleur-de-lys and blue colour recall Quebec's French origins.^[1]

When Samuel de Champlain founded Québec City in 1608, his ship hoisted the French merchant flag, which consisted of a white cross on a blue background. Later on, at the Battle of Carillon, in 1758, the Flag of Carillon was flown. This flag inspired the first members of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society to create the Carillon Sacré-Coeur flag, which consisted of a white cross on an azur background with white fleur-de-lis in each corner and a Sacred Heart surrounded by maple leaves in the centre. The Carillon Sacré-Coeur and French merchant flag went on to be the major inspirations for Québécois when creating Quebec's current flag in 1903, called the Fleurdelisé . The Fleurdelisé replaced the Union Jack on Quebec's Parliament Building on January 21, 1948, and it has flown there ever since.

Motto

The motto, Je me souviens ("I remember"), was devised by the architect of Quebec's Parliament Building, Eugène-Étienne Taché, in 1883.^[1] He carved it into the Parliament building in various locations. Je me souviens is an official part of the coat of arms and has been the official licence plate motto since 1978, replacing the previous one: La belle province ("the beautiful province").

Other symbols

Three new official symbols were adopted in the late 1900s:

Blue flag iris , the floral emblem of Quebec since 1999. It was chosen because it blooms around the time of Quebec's Fête nationale.^[1]^[2]
The snowy owl, the avian emblem of Quebec since 1987. It was selected by the Québécois government to symbolize Quebec's winters and northern climate.^[1]^[3]
The yellow birch, the tree emblem of Quebec since 1993. It was picked to emphasize the importance Québécois give to the forests. The tree is admired for its diverse uses, its commercial value and its autumn colours.^[1]

List

Here is a non-exhaustive list of Quebec's symbols:

	Symbol	Image	Adopted	Remarks
Coat of arms	Coat of arms of Quebec	Coat of Arms of Quebec	December 9, 1939	Originally Granted by a Royal Warrant of Queen Victoria on May 26, 1868; the coat of arms was revised by the Quebec government in 1939
Motto	Je me souviens I remember	Coat of Arms of Quebec	December 9, 1939	Granted with other elements of the coat of arms
Shield of Arms	Shield of arms of Quebec	Coat of Arms of Quebec	1868	The shield was granted by the Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria
Flag	Flag of Quebec	Flag of Quebec	January 21, 1948
Provincial Symbol	Fleur-de-lis	Fleur de lis	July 24, 1534
Floral	Blue Flag Iris versicolor	Blue Flag	1999
Bird	Snowy owl Bubo scandiacus	Snowy owl	1987
Tree	Yellow birch Betula alleghaniensis Britton	Yellow birch	1993

Related Research Articles

The national flag of France is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue, white, and red. The design was adopted after the French Revolution, whose revolutionaries were influenced by the horizontally striped red-white-blue flag of the Netherlands. While not the first tricolour, it became one of the most influential flags in history. The tricolour scheme was later adopted by many other nations in Europe and elsewhere, and, according to the Encyclopædia Britannica has historically stood "in symbolic opposition to the autocratic and clericalist royal standards of the past".

The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys, is a common heraldic charge in the (stylized) shape of a lily. Most notably, the fleur-de-lis (⚜️) is depicted on the traditional coat of arms of France that was used from the High Middle Ages until the French Revolution in 1792, and then again in brief periods in the 19th century. This design still represents France and the House of Bourbon in the form of marshalling in the arms of Spain, Quebec, and Canada — for example.

The National Flag of Canada, often referred to simply as the Canadian flag, consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of 1∶2∶1, in which is featured one stylized, red, 11-pointed maple leaf charged in the centre. It is the first flag to have been adopted by both houses of Parliament and officially proclaimed by the Canadian monarch as the country's official national flag. The flag has become the predominant and most recognizable national symbol of Canada.

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

The coat of arms of Quebec was adopted by order-in-council of the Government of Quebec on 9 December 1939, replacing the arms assigned by royal warrant of Queen Victoria on 26 May 1868.

The culture of Quebec emerged over the last few hundred years, resulting predominantly from the shared history of the French-speaking North American majority in Quebec. Québécois culture, as a whole, constitutes all distinctive traits – spiritual, material, intellectual and affective –

The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society is an institution in the Canadian province of Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec sovereignism. It is known as the oldest patriotic association in French North America. The society's president from 2009 to 2014, Mario Beaulieu, subsequently became leader of the Bloc Québécois. Its current president, Maxime Laporte, is known for being coordinator (president) of Cap sur l'indépendance, an umbrella group of various independentist organisations.

The coat of arms of France is an unofficial emblem of the French Republic. It depicts a lictor's fasces upon branches of laurel and oak, as well as a ribbon bearing the national motto of Liberté, égalité, fraternité. The full achievement includes the star and grand collar of the Legion of Honour. This composition was created in 1905 by heraldic painter-engraver Maurice de Meyère, and it has been used at the Foreign Ministry during state visits and for presidential inaugurations.

Je me souviens is the official motto of Quebec, and translated literally into English means: "I remember." The exact meaning of this short sentence is subject to several interpretations, though all relate to the history of the Quebec people. The motto can be found on all Quebec licence plates, among other things.

The Patriote flag was used by the Patriote movement in Lower Canada between 1832 and 1838.

The flag of Flevoland was hoisted for the first time on 9 January 1986, and it was formally defined as the provincial flag on 15 February 1989.

French heraldry is the use of heraldic symbols in France. Although it had a considerable history, existing from the 12th century, such formality has largely died out in France, as far as regulated personal heraldry is concerned. Civic heraldry on the other hand remains a visible part of daily life.

Krzyż harcerski is the emblem of Polish Scouting, awarded to Polish Scouts, Senior Scouts and Rangers. It was first used by an underground Scouting organization in Warsaw in 1913. The initial design by Kazimierz Lutosławski has not been modified substantially since then. It is worn on a Scout uniform, over the heart, two fingers above the left pocket.

Many different symbols are associated with Cornwall, a region which has disputed constitutional status within the United Kingdom . Saint Piran's Flag, a white cross on a black background is often seen in Cornwall. The Duchy of Cornwall shield of 15 gold bezants on a black field is also used. Because of these two symbols black, white and gold are considered colours symbolic of Cornwall.

The Franco-Ontarian flag is a symbol created to represent Franco-Ontarians, reflecting the diverse languages, seasons and people of Ontario. The design consists of two bands of green and white. The left portion has a solid light green background with a white fleur-de-lys in the middle, while the right portion has a solid white background with a stylized green trillium in the middle.

National symbols of France are emblems of the French Republic and French people, and they are the cornerstone of the nation's republican tradition.

The flag of Carillon was flown by the troops of General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm during the Battle of Carillon, which was fought by the French and Canadian forces against those of the British in July 1758 at Fort Carillon.

The coat of arms of Lyon, the ancient capital of the Gauls, reflects the rich history of the city across different periods of its existence and the power that has exercised authority over the city. It was created in 1320, although the current version, which dates from 1859, reprises the form that it had before the end of the Ancien Régime after having undergone several temporary modifications.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes: Québec's Symbols.
↑ "Sais-tu que l'emblème floral du Québec est l'iris versicolore?" (consulted March 2021)
↑ "Sais-tu que l'oiseau emblème du Québec est le harfang des neiges?" (consulted March 2021)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[symbols-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes: Québec's Symbols.

[2] "Sais-tu que l'emblème floral du Québec est l'iris versicolore?" (consulted March 2021)

[3] "Sais-tu que l'oiseau emblème du Québec est le harfang des neiges?" (consulted March 2021)

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Symbols of Canada (by province or territory)
Provinces	Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador Nova Scotia Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan
Territories	Northwest Territories Nunavut Yukon
Category Canadaportal