Sudbury in Greater Sudbury, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

The Franco-Ontarian Flag
⎯⎯⎯
Le drapeau franco-ontarien

The Franco-Ontarian Flag (<i>marker west side • English</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 8, 2024

1. The Franco-Ontarian Flag (marker west side • English)

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

[English] The Franco-Ontarian Flag was first raised at the University of Sudbury on September 25, 1975, at a time when Sudbury was experiencing unprecedented growth in Franco-Ontarian arts and culture. Conceived by Gaétan Gervais, historian at Laurentian University, and student Michel Dupuis, the first flag was made by Jacline England, a student and staff member at the university. Refusing to take sole credit for the flag, its creators hoped that the Franco-Ontarian community would claim it as their own and a committee was formed to promote it. The flag was adopted as a unifying symbol during times of struggle and resistance, such as the Penetanguishene school crisis of 1979 and the SOS Montfort campaign in Ottawa in 1997. In 2001, the Ontario Legislature officially recognized the flag as the emblem of the Ontario French-speaking community. Since 2010, Franco-Ontarian Day has been celebrated annually on September 25. Today, the green and white flag with the French lily and the Ontario trillium endures as the most prominent symbol of the province's diverse francophone community and represents more than 400 years of the French presence in Ontario.

[Français] Le drapeau franco-ontarien a été hissé pour la première fois à l’Université de Sudbury le 25 septembre 1975 dans le contexte d’une explosion artistique et culturelle franco-ontarienne sans précédent à Sudbury. Conçu par Gaétan Gervais, historien à l’Université Laurentienne, et Michel Dupuis, un étudiant, le premier drapeau a été fabriqué par Jacline England, une étudiante et membre du personnel de l’université. En refusant de s’attribuer le mérite de sa conception, ses créateurs espèrent que la communauté franco-ontarienne fasse sien le nouveau drapeau. Un comité est également créé pour promouvoir sa diffusion. Le drapeau est adopté comme un symbole rassembleur présent durant les moments de lutte et de résistance, que ce soit lors de la crise scolaire de Penetanguishene en 1979 ou durant la campagne SOS Montfort à Ottawa en 1997. En 2001, la législature ontarienne le reconnaît comme l’emblème officiel de l’Ontario français et, depuis 2010, le Jour des Franco-Ontariens et des Franco-Ontariennes est célébré annuellement le 25 septembre. Aujourd’hui, le drapeau vert et blanc qui arbore le lys français et le trille ontarien est le plus important symbole de cette communauté diversifiée et représente plus de 400 ans de présence française en Ontario.

Erected by Ontario

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Heritage Trust / Fiducie du patrimoine ontarien.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Government & Politics • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Ontario Heritage Trust, and the Vexillology series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is September 25, 1975.

Location. 46° 27.829′ N, 80° 58.284′ W. Marker is in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. It is in Sudbury. It is on Manitou Road just south of University Road, on the right when traveling south. The marker is located on the Laurentian University of Sudbury campus, about 1.6 km south of Ramsey Lake Road (Greater Sudbury Regional Road 39) via University Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Greater Sudbury ON P3E 2C6, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northeastern Ontario

and specifically in Northern Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

Le drapeau franco-ontarien (<i>marker east side • Français</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 8, 2024

2. Le drapeau franco-ontarien (marker east side • Français)

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Laurentian University of Sudbury / Université Laurentienne de Sudbury (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Austin Airways 1934-1987 (approx. 2 kilometers away); The Sudbury Basin (approx. 2.2 kilometers away); W. J. Bell (approx. 2.2 kilometers away); The Irish Regiment of Canada (approx. 3.3 kilometers away); The Founding of Sudbury / La fondation de Sudbury (approx. 3.3 kilometers away); Sainte-Anne-des-Pins (approx. 3.8 kilometers away); Sacred Heart College / Collège du Sacré-Coeur (approx. 4.4 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greater Sudbury.

Also see . . . A changing French-Canadian identity.

Excerpt: Part of the reason behind the flag's development resides in the considerable changes in French-Canadian identities that took place during the post-war years. Rising nationalism in Quebec produced a stronger French-language state within Ontario and accelerated secularism within its institutions.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 8, 2024

3. The Franco-Ontarian Flag (marker west side • English)
Looking east across the Laurentian University of Sudbury campus.
Tensions rose between French-Canadian traditionalists – seeing Canada as a pact between two founding nations, of which the French-Canadian minorities were an integral part — and Quebec neo-nationalists, who desired more autonomy for the province.
French-Canadian elites in Ontario thus channelled their efforts in obtaining new linguistic rights. The 1970s proved to be an electrifying decade for Franco-Ontarians, most notably in Sudbury where a cultural explosion produced a number of lasting institutions, including the Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario in 1971, and Prise de Parole, a publishing house, in 1973. It is of little surprise that the Nickel City would also, two years later, be the birthplace of the most recognizable symbol of the Franco-Ontarian community: the Franco-Ontarian flag.

(Submitted on November 28, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 8, 2024

4. Le drapeau franco-ontarien (marker east side • Français)

Looking west; the University of Sudbury building is partially visible in the right background.

The Franco-Ontarian Flag / Le drapeau franco-ontarien image. Click for full size.

5. The Franco-Ontarian Flag / Le drapeau franco-ontarien

University of Sudbury / Université de Sudbury image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 8, 2024

6. University of Sudbury / Université de Sudbury

The main administrative offices building; it is located about 50 meters north of the marker. The Franco-Ontarian flag is behind the Canadian flag.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 28, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 218 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 28, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The Franco-Ontarian Flag⎯⎯⎯Le drapeau franco-ontarien

The Franco-Ontarian Flag
⎯⎯⎯
Le drapeau franco-ontarien