National Patriots’ Day was proclaimed by the government of Quebec in 2002 to highlight “the struggle of the patriots of 1837-1838 for the national recognition of our people, for their political freedom and for obtaining a democratic system of government “.
Never mind, at the end of last week, the Mouvement des Caisses Desjardins, the leading financial institution in Quebec, allowed itself a flagrant misappropriation of historical meaning, an offense to the Quebec people and to the memory of patriots, by announcing on its walls the closure of its offices for National Patriots Day with a poster showing a man proudly carrying on his back… a flag of Canada (!). Canada which, at the same time, was preparing to celebrate, on the occasion of Victoria Day, the symbolic antithesis of the patriotic struggle… the British Crown!
Which shows that the National Museum of Quebec History project may not be such a bad idea after all!
To watch on video