On 8/6/07, Daniel J. Matyola <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I have just returned from two weeks in Eastern Canada, and I observed > a lot of flags in the various provinces up there. > > In Europe, some countries -- like Switzerland, Norway and Denmark -- > seem to fly their national flags even more than we flag-waving > Americans do. In other countries, like Germany and Italy, the > national flags are rarely seen. > > Canada seems to be full of lags. In the Maritime provinces, the > provincial flag is usually flown beside the national flag. In Quebec, > however, the blue and white provincial flag is everywhere, but the red > and white Canadian flag was quite rare. Most provincial government > buildings were flying only the flag of Quebec, without the Canadian > flag, mostly of national government buildings and tourist hotels. I > can't imagine a state office building in New Jersey or New York flying > only the state flag without causing a considerable controversy. > > Also, on the West coast of Cape Breton, I saw a lot of "Acadian" > flags, but was not really certain of what they mean or why they seemed > pretty much restricted to that area. > > TIA,
Okay, I agree with much of what both Adam and Dave said, however, the issue of Quebec "nationhood" is quite complex will not be simply dealt with in a forum like this. Ever since confederation in 1867, there were those in Quebec that felt that it should be an independant nation. The numbers of true separatists have tended to be fairly constant over the years; depending on who one asks, the number is around 25%. However, depending on how and when one asks the question of separation, anywhere from 25% to up to 60% will seem to be in agreement. Bottom line is that many in Quebec think of it as a "nation" - not in the sense of an independant nation-state, but in terms of a defined geographical area within which on can find a unique culture, language, etc. There's a sense of "dual nationhood", by which one can consider one's self both Canadian and Quebecois, and one's "primary" allegiance (if that's the right word" may well be towards Quebec. Even though Quebec's current government is not separatist (there have been a number of them over the years), due to the influence of separatists in the media and educational institutions, the sense that one's a Quebecker before being a Canadian is maintained. Therefore, provincial government buildings, for instance, will fly the provincial flag and not a Canadian flag. I know it's kinda weird, especially with the American concept of nationhood, and many in English Canada don't understand it, but in Quebec, I suspect that most understand what's going on, even if not all accept it. As for the Acadians, I'll answer Adam's post directly... cheers, frank -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
