“Locals, it’s your turn to let yourselves speak of love. It was while singing the emblematic melody that a hundred people unfurled a huge Quebec flag on Saturday noon, at Place des Arts.
On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the fleur-de-lis, many politicians and around 200 spectators gathered to pay tribute to the flag adopted in 1948, during the reign of Maurice Duplessis. The flag was 60 feet long by 90 feet wide.
“The flag belongs to all Quebecers living on our territory and new Quebecers as well,” said Marianne Alepin, president of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste society, which organized the event, in an interview. “It’s such a strong symbol of our unity, of our nation. »
Under the sound of the drums of a troupe of percussionists, speakers from many political parties in Quebec followed one another on stage to pay tribute to the fleur-de-lis.
“I have this habit of always going abroad with a little Quebec flag with me,” confided Liberal MP for Viau Frantz Benjamin in an interview.
Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson Manon Massé pays tribute to her “four white paths that point in the four directions, with open arms”. “But a flag can be used to drape yourself in it and close in on yourself, and that may not be happier,” she adds.
The MP for La Pointe-de-l’Île for the Bloc Québécois, Mario Beaulieu, talks about the unique character embodied by the flag. “It represents who we are, the French language, our specificity. »
The event ended with a rather funny segment: the 200 people present folded the flag like a huge sheet.