Wednesday, August 25, 2004
The Quebec flag is a recent creation. It was designed in 1902, but not adopted until 1948. Still, they are quite strident about their flag. An Act Respecting the Flag and Emblems of Quebec declares it to be "the national emblem" and it "must be flown on the central tower of the Parliament Building," and "in all cases" it "has precedence over any other flag or emblem." A related law says that all bodies which must display the Quebec flag "must not" display it "on a mast or flagpole together with another flag or banner."
The official tourist webpage of Quebec doesn't tell the story right. It starts the history of New France in 1608--not 1604. It talks about the founding of Quebec city and Montreal, and then has this:
From 1660 to 1713 the settlement of New France accelerated as France established colonies in Acadia (now Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) and along the shores of the St. Lawrence.I dropped them a note.