Coat of Arms of Quebec
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The shield is divided into three horizontal fields. The first bears three gold fleurs-de-lis on a blue background, a traditional symbol of royal France. The second is a gold lion passant guardant on a red background, a traditional symbol of British royalty. The third is three green maple leaves on a gold background, a traditional symbol of Canada. The shield is surmounted by a royal crown, and accompanied by a silver scroll bearing the provicial motto, Je me souviens ("I remember").
Heraldic Blazon
 Former Quebec coat of arms |
The original arms that were granted by Queen Victoria in 1868 were blazoned as follows:
Or on a Fess Gules between two Fleur de Lis in chief Azure, and a sprig of three Leaves of Maple slipped Vert in base, a Lion passant guardant Or.
This was modified by Order-in-Council of the Quebec government in 1939 as follows:
Use the Royal arms of France Modern ["azure, three fleurs-de-lys Or"] in chief.
It has been argued that since heraldry is a royal prerogative, not provincial, that the Quebec government had no authority to make this change; however, this coat is the one used by the Quebec government since that time, and no serious attempt to change the situation has come to light.
The current 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.)
Other Canadian coats of arms
Canada - Alberta - British Columbia - Manitoba - New Brunswick - Newfoundland and Labrador - Northwest Territories - Nova Scotia - Nunavut - Ontario - Prince Edward Island - Saskatchewan - Yukon