National Patriots' Day () is a statutory holiday observed annually in the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, on the Monday preceding 25 May. The holiday was established by the

Lieutenant Governor of Quebec The lieutenant governor of Quebec (; , ) is the representative in Quebec of the monarch, who Monarchy in Quebec, operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the Canadian federalism, ten other jurisdictions of Canada. T ...

- in-Council in 2003, according to the Parti Quebecois premier

Bernard Landry Bernard Landry (; March 9, 1937 – November 6, 2018) was a Canadian politician who served as the 28th premier of Quebec from 2001 to 2003. A member of the Parti Québécois (PQ), he led the party from 2001 to 2005, also serving as the leader ...

: "to underline the importance of the struggle of the patriots of 1837–1838 for the national recognition of our people, for its political liberty and to obtain a democratic system of government." Before 2003, the Monday preceding 25 May of each year was unofficially the '' Fête de Dollard'', a commemoration initiated in the 1920s to coincide with

Victoria Day Victoria Day () is a federal Canadian public holiday observed on the last Monday preceding May 25 to honour Queen Victoria, who is known as the "Mother of Confederation". The holiday has existed in Canada since at least 1845, originally on Vic ...

, a federal holiday occurring annually on the same date.

History

The citizens of Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu organized, in 1937, the ''Fêtes du centenaire de 1837'', in order to commemorate the "struggles of the Patriotes of 1837–1838 for liberty, the national recognition of our people and for democracy."La Journée nationale des Patriotes
, in the site of the ''Maison nationale des Patriotes'', updated February 20, 2008, retrieved on May 31, 2008 The festivities took place at various sites across the municipality, and some residents produced souvenirs of the event. Beginning in 1962, on the 125th anniversary of the 1837 Rebellions, a public gathering in Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu to mark the rebellion became an annual event. On 6 October 1982, the so-called ''Patriots' Day'' was declared by the Quebec Governor- in-Council as occurring each year on the Sunday closest to 23 November. The desire to see the ''Journée des patriotes'' gained a more official character and incited some citizens to campaign for the celebration to be declared a statutory holiday, either as a new holiday or in replacement of an existing one. In 1987, the '' Club Souverain de l'Estrie'' started the movement "For a paid holiday in memory of the Patriots,"Gilles Laporte.
La fête des Patriotes : le temps d'agir
, in ''Les Patriotes de 1837@1838'', November 10, 2001, retrieved May 31, 2008 while other organizations, such as the ''Saint-Jean-Baptiste'' Society of Montreal and the ''Comité du 15 février 1839'' (founded by Pierre Falardeau in 1997 to help finance the movie '' February 15, 1839 (15 février 1839)''), later joined in the campaign. During the provincial congress of the nationalist

Parti Québécois The Parti Québécois (PQ; , ) is a sovereignist and social democratic provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. The PQ advocates national sovereignty for Quebec involving independence of the province of Quebec from Canada and establishi ...

(May 5–7, 2000), party members adopted a resolution inviting the government to replace the traditional holiday with a nationalist one. On 21 November 2001, provincial premier

proposed a motion in the

National Assembly of Quebec The National Assembly of Quebec (, ) is the Legislature, legislative body of the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; ). The lieutenant governor of Que ...

inviting that body to "underline the importance of the struggle of the Patriots of 1837–1838." An

Order in Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...

was then issued on 20 November the following year, establishing the ''Journée des patriotes''—thenceforth known as ''National Patriots' Day''—as the Monday preceding 25 May, thereby replacing the ''Fête de Dollard''. The moving from November to May was motivated by the will to highlight the starting point of the numerous public meetings organized by citizens throughout Lower Canada from May to November 1837 in reaction to the passing of British

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...

Lord John Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and again from 1865 to 186 ...

's Ten Resolutions by the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

.Congé férié à l’occasion de la Journée nationale des Patriotes
, press release of the office of the

Premier of Quebec The premier of Quebec ( (masculine) or eminine is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec, sworn in on October 18, 2018, following tha ...

, November 24, 2002, retrieved May 31, 2008 The first official replacement holiday took place on 19 May 2003.

References

{{reflist

External links

;In English * Government of Québec portal: Statutory holidays in Québe

*
An Act respecting labour standards - article 60
, in ''CanLII'', updated on May 1, 2008, retrieved May 31, 2008 *
Highlights of Major Developments in Labour Legislation (2002-2003)
, in the site of ''Human Resources and Social Development Canada'', modified September 22, 2004, retrieved May 31, 2008 ;In French
Official Website of the Journée nationale des Patriotes
*

, in the site of the '' Maison nationale des Patriotes'', updated on February 20, 2008 *
Journée nationale des Patriotes
, press dossier in '' Vigile.net'', 2000–2005 * Serge Denis.
Les patriotes de 1837 pourraient déloger Dollar des Ormeaux
, in ''

La Tribune () is a French weekly financial newspaper founded in 1985 by Bruno Bertez. Its main competitor is the French newspaper '' Les Échos'', which is currently owned by LVMH. From 1993 to 2007, was part of LVMH. In 2010, Alain Weill, the chair ...

'', November 19, 2001 * Gilles Laporte.
La fête des Patriotes : le temps d'agir
, in ''Les Patriotes de 1837@1838'', November 10, 2001 Culture of Quebec Holidays in Quebec Lower Canada Rebellion May observances

History

See also

References

External links