La Belle Province (nickname)
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La Belle Province ("The Beautiful Province") is a nickname or periphrasis used to designate Quebec, a province of Canada.[1][2][3] Because the phrase is seen as cliché in Quebec, it is most often used outside of Quebec, and mostly by Anglo-Canadian or French media. The saying was on Quebec's licence plates from 1966 to 1977, after which it was replaced by the motto Je me souviens.
Removal from licence plates[]
This saying was on Quebec's licence plates from 1966 to 1977. From 1978 to present day, the phrase was replaced by Je me souviens, Quebec's official motto. This change was pioneered by the then Minister of Cultural Affairs Denis Vaugeois, who compared the use of the word "province" as like referring to a colony: "By advertising ourselves in this way, we admitted to being in trusteeship: were we so proud to be a province? Around me [at the Council of Ministers], some were murmuring: “But we are the beautiful province!” Nice consolation prize!".[4] Vaugeois convinced the caucus with the notable support of Gérald Godin, Lucien Lessard and Lise Payette. He also states that his original idea was to change the slogan to Memini, which is Je me souviens in Latin, but then changed his mind and suggested the more straightforward Je me souviens as he did not feel it would be well received.[5]
References[]
This article was translated from its French-language counterpart, La Belle Province, please see its history for full authorship attribution.
- ^ "About Quebec: Canada's French Province".
- ^ "Quebec".
- ^ "Quebec | Free Study Maps".
- ^ Denis Vaugeois, Entretiens with Stéphane Savard, Boréal, Montréal, 2019, p.200.
- ^ Denis Vaugeois, Entretiens with Stéphane Savard, Boréal, Montréal, 2019, p. 201.
See also[]
- Culture of Quebec
- Provincial symbols of Quebec
- Nicknames