Coat of arms of Quebec
Details
Adopted	1939
Crest	Tudor crown
Escutcheon	Tierced in fess, first azure, three fleurs-de-lis Or; second gules, a lion passant guardant of the second, armed and langued of the first; third, of the second, a sprig of three sugar maple leaves vert, nerved of the field.
Motto	Je me souviens
Earlier versions	Or on a Fess Gules between two Fleurs de Lis in chief Azure, and a sprig of three Leaves of Maple slipped Vert in base, a Lion passant guardant Or.

The coat of arms of Quebec was adopted by order-in-council of the Quebec government on December 9, 1939,^[1] replacing the arms assigned by royal warrant of Queen Victoria on May 26, 1868.^[2]

The shield is divided into three horizontal fields:

• Top — Three gold fleurs-de-lis on a blue background, symbolizing royal France
• Middle — A gold lion passant guardant on a red background, traditionally symbolizing British royalty
• Bottom — Three green maple leaves on a gold background, symbolizing Canada.

The shield is surmounted by the Tudor crown, and accompanied by a silver scroll bearing the provincial motto, Je me souviens ("I remember").

[edit] Blazon

The blazon is:

Tiercé en fasce; d'azur, à trois fleurs-de-lis d'or; de gueules, à un léopard d'or, armé et lampassé d'azur; d'or, à une branche d'érable à sucre à triple feuille de sinople, aux nervures du champ. Timbré de la couronne royale. Sous l'écu, un listel d'argent bordé d'azur portant la devise JE ME SOUVIENS du même.

(Tierced in fess, first azure, three fleurs-de-lis Or; second gules, a lion passant guardant of the second, armed and langued of the first; third, of the second, a sprig of three sugar maple leaves vert, nerved of the field. Ensigned with the royal crown. Under the shield, a scroll argent bordured azure bearing the motto Je me souviens of the same.)

[edit] History

First Coat of Arms of Quebec
(1868-1939)

Arms were first granted to the province in 1868 by Queen Victoria. They were blazoned as follows:

Or on a Fess Gules between two Fleurs de Lis in chief Azure, and a sprig of three Leaves of Maple slipped Vert in base, a Lion passant guardant Or.

However, in 1939 the Quebec government adopted arms by Order-in-Council, replacing the two blue fleurs-de-lis on the golden field with the royal arms of France Moderne in chief. Quebec is the only Canadian province to have adopted arms by its own authority.^[1]

The federal government is inconsistent in the use of the two variants: it often uses the 1939 variant, but in some cases, such as on the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill and the badge of the Royal 22^e Régiment, it uses the 1868 variant.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Gouvernement du Québec. "Les armoiries du Québec", in the site Drapeau et symboles nationaux of the Government of Quebec, updated on January 14, 2008
• Luc Bouvier. "Les armoiries du Québec d’hier à aujourd’hui", in L'Action nationale, February 1999.
• Gaston Deschênes (1990). Les symboles d’identité québécoise, Québec: Publications du Québec, 39 pages ISBN 2551141893

v • d • e   Heraldry in Canada Organizations Governor General · Canadian Heraldic Authority · Public Register of Arms · Royal Heraldry Society of Canada National Arms Arms of Canada · Flag of Canada Provincial and Territorial Arms Alberta · British Columbia · Manitoba · New Brunswick · Newfoundland and Labrador · Northwest Territories · Nova Scotia · Nunavut · Ontario · Prince Edward Island · Quebec · Saskatchewan · Yukon Municipal Arms Capital cities Ottawa · Charlottetown · Edmonton · Fredericton · Halifax · Iqaluit · Quebec City · Regina · St. John's · Toronto · Victoria · Whitehorse · Winnipeg · Yellowknife · More Related Royal Standard of Canada · Flag of the Governor General · Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom

v • d • e Topics on Quebec History Timeline of Quebec history: Beginnings to 1533 · 1534 to 1607 · 1608 to 1662 · 1663 to 1759 · 1760 to 1773 · 1774 to 1790 · 1791 to 1840 · 1841 to 1866 · 1867 to 1899 · 1900 to 1930 · 1931 to 1959 · 1960 to 1981 · 1982 to present Topics: Current Events Politics Political parties · General elections · The Quebec Act • Monarchy in Quebec • Lieutenant Governor • Cabinet • Premiers • Leaders of the Opposition • Legislature • Electoral districts Geography National Parks • Provincial parks • Rivers • Natural History • Geography • Demographics Economy Agriculture • Highways • Railways • Airports • Buildings and Structures Demographics Aboriginal peoples · Demographic history · Religion · Language demographics Culture Architecture · Art · Cinema · Education · Famous Quebecers · Holidays · Identity · Literature · Music · Nationalism · Sport · Theatre · Comic strips · Dance · Cuisine Symbols Coat of Arms · Fleur-de-lis · National Flag · Je me souviens Communities Census Divisions • Regions • Cities