The Symbol and the System: Understanding Conflicting Narratives in a Postcolonial Context
Civic symbols, far from being neutral, condense history, power relations, and collective identities. The flag of Montreal, with its historical composition and recent adjustments, embodies this dynamic. It illustrates how a collective memory marked by past imbalances can fuel a sense of systemic inequity, particularly in postcolonial societies like Quebec.
An Inherited Symbolic Imbalance
The flag adopted in 1939 reflects the British domination that followed the Conquest: an English rose, a Scottish thistle, an Irish shamrock—three symbols for Anglo-Celtic diversity—and a single fleur-de-lis to represent the Francophone majority. This imbalance was not accidental: it corresponded to a context where the economic, political, and cultural elite was largely Anglophone. The addition of a white pine in 2017, to include First Peoples, marked a step towards recognition, but did not correct the initial structure of the narrative: Francophones, despite being the majority in the province, remain symbolically minoritized.
A Dual Identity with Variable Geometry
One of the mechanisms that fuels misunderstanding is the shifting scale in identity positioning. Anglo-Quebecers define themselves as a minority in Quebec—which they are demographically—while also belonging to the dominant linguistic group in Canada, North America, and global institutions. This duality allows them to claim both the protection of minority rights within the province and to draw on a position of strength at the federal and international levels.
The problem arises when this dual status appears to be used strategically: when an economically powerful and culturally dominant group in the North American sphere presents itself as oppressed in Quebec, it elicits a feeling of injustice or duplicity among many Francophones. For them, the French fact, a minority everywhere else on the continent, remains structurally vulnerable.
Economic Power and Perceived Imbalances
The English language, imposed as the language of commerce after the Conquest, has long been synonymous with access to power and wealth. Even today, financial institutions, prestigious universities, and major media outlets remain largely Anglophone. When these systemic advantages are combined with claims for minority protection, unease emerges: the historical imbalance is symbolically replayed, sometimes without questioning inherited privileges.
Conclusion: Recognizing the French Fact as a Continental Issue
The debate surrounding Montreal's flag is revealing. It is not a simple aesthetic dispute, but a clash of historical narratives. To move forward, it is necessary to recognize that the real minority in North America is not Quebec's Anglophone community, but Francophonie itself. Keeping this culture alive within a massively Anglophone continent requires political and symbolic vigilance. It is by understanding the mechanisms of past and present domination, and by ceasing to reverse historical roles, that we can aspire to genuine equity between the peoples and cultures that coexist here.