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The Parti Québécois is proposing a bill calling for the Quebec flag to be displayed in every classroom and landmark as part of an effort to increase its presence across the province.
It also aims to ensure respect for the flag, the party said in an email Wednesday.
“Whether we think of the Forges-du-St-Maurice, the Caserne-de-Carillon or, of course, the Plains of Abraham, these are all places of very high importance for the collective memory of Quebecers,” Pascal Bérubé, PQ MNA for Matane-Matapédia and spokesperson for culture and communications, said in a statement. “We are proposing that all these places, as well as classrooms, display the Quebec flag. It is a question of respect for our nation.”
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In 2020, the Quebec government announced that, among other upgrades, schools that need to be renovated will incorporate the blue of the fleur-de-lis — the province’s national symbol since 1948.
Bérubé is also proposing for MNAs to have a reserve of flags at their disposal to hand out to anyone who requests them, which he said is the case for MPs at the federal level.
“There is no reason why the deputies from Quebec should not have this same possibility,” Bérubé said. “All citizens who want to show their love and respect for Quebec should have the support of the members of the National Assembly to do so.”
The bill also aims to let citizens ask for a flag that had been flown above Parliament; that municipalities celebrate flag day on Jan. 21; and that flags are destroyed in a respectful manner at the end of their useful life, according to practices in Canada and the United States.
Earlier this year, the Institut de recherche sur le Québec proposed several potential avenues to strengthen the law on the flag and the emblems of Quebec to ensure “greater respect from citizens as well as public institutions.”
One of the suggestions was to modify the law to add an article specifying “every Quebecer is encouraged to proudly display the Quebec flag” and “every building owner is encouraged to permit it to be flown.”
Another proposed suggestion was to state that a flag is unusable if its torn, ripped or the colours are faded.
Outside of ensuring respect for the flag, another suggestion was to find ways to celebrate it, including by having municipalities organize public ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the flag.
Presse Canadienne contributed to this report.
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