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[6]By William Proulx [7]
QUINTE WEST – Local francophones joined the French-speaking community across Ontario to celebrate the 39th anniversary of the creation of the Franco-Ontarian flag on Thursday.
The flag was created in 1975 by Gaétan Gervais [8], a history professor at Laurentian University in Sudbury, and Michel Dupuis, a political-science student, to represent French-speaking Ontarians.
Residents of Quinte West [9] – many of them students and teachers at the city’s three French schools – gathered at city hall to watch proudly as Mayor John Williams [10] raised the green and white flag.
“Raising the flag annually is important to the French culture of our province,” Williams told the crowd in French.
This was the last time for Williams to lead the flag-raising, since he is not seeking re-election. To thank him for his work in supporting the local francophone community over the years, the teachers and students presented him with a painting by local artist Chantale Brisson that he had always admired. The whimsical painting shows a chef about to cook a chicken, and Williams made a joke about not being chicken to speak French.
The crowd listened to speeches from representatives of the educational community along with Lt.-Col. Dany Bréton of Canadian Forces Base Trenton [11].
“Everything you do today, do it in French” speaker Valérie Dubé-Hébert of École élémentaire catholique L’Envol [12] urged the crowd.
Other schools taking part were École Élémentaire Publique Cité-Jeunesse [13] and the high school École Marc Garneau [14].
The ceremonial events concluded with the singing of the unofficial Franco-Ontarian anthem, Notre Place [15].