Franco-Ontarian flag
fleur-de-lys centred on the green portion and a trillium centred on the white portion | |
| Designed by | Gaétan Gervais and Michel Dupuis[1] |
|---|---|
The Franco-Ontarian flag is a symbol created to represent
The green represents the summer months, while the white represents the winter months. The trillium is the floral symbol of Ontario, while the fleur-de-lys represents the
History
The flag was created by
21st century
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario legally recognized it as the official flag of the Franco-Ontarian community with the passage of the Franco-Ontarian Emblem Act of 2001.[4] The flag was made available as a graphic on vehicle registration plates in Ontario in 2003.[5]
In 2003 a controversy arose in
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Franco-Ontarian flag in September 2005, Prise de parole, a Sudbury-based publishing house, published a book titled Le Drapeau franco-ontarien (edited by Guy Gaudreau, a history professor at Laurentian University.)
On September 25, 2006, the largest Franco-Ontarian flag was unfurled in Ottawa. The historical park, also known as Les Monuments de la francophonie d'Ottawa, was built by the francophone community to commemorate francophone contribution in the development and well-being of the City of Ottawa. This first of six Monuments de la francophonie d'Ottawa is dedicated to the subject of education. The flag is 5 x 10 m and was raised on a 27 m pole.
In 2010, the Ontario government designated September 25 as Franco-Ontarian Day.[7] The date was chosen as it represented the anniversary of the flag.
In 2017, the Ontario Heritage Trust placed a permanent historical plaque at the University of Sudbury building to commemorate the creation of the flag.[8]
Following the controversial cutbacks to French-language services announced by the government of Doug Ford in 2018, governments in Quebec began to fly the Franco-Ontarian flag as a gesture of solidarity. The flag was hoisted at Montreal City Hall on November 23,[9] and at the National Assembly of Quebec on December 1.[10]
On September 21, 2020, Ontario Parliament passed Amendment to Franco-Ontarian Emblem Act, 2001 proposed by
See also
Notes
- Francophone Assembly of Ontario in 1977, and was officially named the flag of the Franco-Ontarian community by provincial legislation in 2001. In 2020, the Legislative Assembly of Ontarioamended the Act passed in 2001, making the flag an official emblem of Ontario.
References
- ^ a b "Franco-Ontarian Flag". Encyclopedia of French Cultural Heritage in North America. Department of Canadian Heritage. 2017.
- ^ "Franco-Ontarian Flag | Legislative Assembly of Ontario". www.ola.org. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- ^ a b c d "Franco-Ontarian Flag". The Canadian Encyclopedia, August 21, 2013.
- ^ Franco-Ontarian Emblem Act of 2001.
- ^ "Franco-Ontarian License Plate Launched". Queen's Printer for Ontario. 11 June 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- Northern Life, December 7, 2006.
- ^ "September 25 Is Now Franco-Ontarian Day". Government of Ontario. April 26, 2010. Archived from the original on November 14, 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-25.
- Canada NewsWire, September 25, 2017.
- ^ "Franco-Ontarian flag flies over Montreal city hall as Ford softens stance on French services". CTV Montreal, November 23, 2018.
- Montreal Gazette, November 30, 2018.
- ^ "Bill 182, Franco-Ontarian Emblem Amendment Act, 2020". Government of Ontario. September 24, 2020.