“Je me souviens.”
I read that on every vehicle licence plate in Québec. In fact, that was the first thing I noticed as we drove around Montréal on my very first visit way back in 2005.
Most Canadian vehicle plates display a slogan that exemplifies the province or territory they represent. Having lived in Vancouver for nine years, I know that British Columbia vehicle plates say, “Beautiful British Columbia,” which I think is a very apt title.
The Northwest Territories display, “Spectacular Northwest Territories” on their plates, while in Manitoba, the plates are simply adorned with, “Friendly Manitoba.”
In Alberta, it’s “Wild Rose Country,” referring to the rose species native to the Canadian northern Great Plains and is the provincial national flower, while the Yukon plate displays, “Home of the Klondike” in honour of the Klondike River, which runs through it, as well as in memory of the Gold Rush.
In Saskatchewan, the plates say “Land of the Living Skies,” referring to the ever-changing skyscape viewed from the vastness of the prairies, while the ones in Nova Scotia say, “Canada’s Ocean Playground,“ referring to its beaches and the four major bodies of water surrounding the province. The ones from Prince Edward Island say, “Home of the Confederation,” while the ones from my now home province of Ontario say, “Yours to Discover.”
Other provinces or territories simply state their names – “New/Nouveau Brunswick Canada,” “Newfoundland Labrador,” and “ᓄᓇᕗᑦ Nunavut,” that contains both the Inuktitut syllabics and English. But Nunavut also has a version that is shaped like a polar bear with the slogan, “Explore Canada’s Arctic.”
Quebec's vehicle plate slogan, “Je me souviens,” when literally translated into English, says, “I remember.” I found it different from the others because it doesn’t have a touristic tone to it.
I learned that it is actually the official motto of this French province and that it was coined by Étienne-Paschal Taché, a Canadian doctor, politician, and one of the Fathers of the Confederation. When paraphrased, it could convey the sentiment, “We do not forget, and will never forget our ancient lineage, traditions and memories of all the past."
But until now, no one knows what Taché really meant, and the interpretation of this line remains vague. Whether it is political or simply poetic is still being debated. In 1955, the historian Mason Wade added his opinion by writing, "When the French Canadian says ‘Je me souviens,’ he not only remembers the days of New France, but also the fact that he belongs to a conquered people."
I will not be surprised if the political undertone is highlighted here. Québec has had a tumultuous history from the time the French settlers founded the colony of Canada, which they called, ”New France” from the 17th to the 18th century up to the “Quiet Revolution” of the 1960s, when Québec ‘s separatists, calling for an independent nation, imposed increasingly stringent laws favouring the French language and French culture. Throughout the centuries, the persistent theme of their struggles was the political alienation of the Francophones from the Anglophone majority. In fact, the tension is still evident up to the present.
Québec culture and politics stem greatly from the shared history of the French-speaking Canadians, most of whom reside in the province. In fact, Québec is the only region in the whole of North America with a French-speaking majority and one of only two provinces in Canada where French is a constitutionally recognized official language (the other province is New Brunswick, in case you are wondering).
This is what makes Québec a very unique province. Going there is like visiting Europe because of the distinctly French vibe you would feel the moment you arrive. As a friend had put it, it's like "stepping outside of North America while not really leaving it." I agree.
The province of Québec is big and there are many beautiful places to explore, but I am most familiar with two places that I have come to visit often over the years.
Its two major cities, Montréal and Québec City, have a very robust European flavour and a strong affiliation with France, and French culture continues to be a facet of their ever evolving personalities.
But while epitomizing the heart and soul of French Canada like tightly-knit sister cities, they are also very distinct from each other. Montréal is modern and cosmopolitan, while Québec City, the capital of the province, is cozy and oozing with old-world charm.
Each city has its own pull on me, and in a way, have become part of my evolving identity as a Canadian. My first years in Canada were spent in British Columbia, where the culture is customarily Anglophone. I had no exposure to the French culture then and at that time, it seemed as distant from my consciousness as the expanse of miles between the West Coast and the East Coast.
The only time I had an inkling of what French culture could be like was when I worked at this company where a good 70 percent of the employees in my business unit were Francophones. We were engaged in client services and since Canada is a bilingual country and we were servicing the whole nation, the need for bilingual agents was naturally important. Bilingualism is not so common in the West Coast, so our company had instead, hired Francophones, who could provide French services. A number of them were fluent enough in English to provide bilingual service. I, on the other hand, was one of the locals that solely worked in English.
(NOTE: At the time of this writing, I am happy to say that I am now able to work in French, albeit still at the cusp of "elementary" and "intermediate" level. But the learning and the practising continue.)
Most of us, at that time of my employment there (it was my second job in Canada), were fairly young and unmarried, so we had the opportunity to socialize quite often outside the office setting. On Friday nights, we would often go to pubs or someone would host a potluck dinner at his/her home and we’d eat and drink our bring-your-own beer or wine while playing cards and board games.
My Francophone co-workers taught me French words and phrases (including curse words) and introduced me to French-Canadian food. From the stories that they shared from their Québec hometowns, I had gotten a glimpse of their lifestyle, their outlook in life, and their general experiences. I found the French people to be very warm, open, passionate, and very expressive. Over time, aside from their accents, I was able to distinguish French people from the rest of the Canadian population, and I have always had a fondness for their spontaneity, their cute quirks, and their unique sense of humour.
(NOTE: At the time of this writing, I could say that in the past five years or so of my employment, I have been working with more Francophones on the Québec side of the Ottawa River, thus getting more practice in my French communication and more exposure to French-Canadian culture. My most recent team is, in fact, comprised of Francophone employees, with me being the sole Anglophone in the group.)
Later on, I met my soon-to-be husband, who, despite his Austrian family origins, was born and raised in Montréal, and has a particular devotion and loyalty to his hometown. Eventually, we started travelling there regularly, until we finally relocated to the East Coast.
I go to Montréal several times a year because my husband’s family is there and we make it a point to be with them on special occasions and on long weekends and holidays. On the other hand, I have been to Québec City and its vicinities only four times, each for just a short period.
The first time was as part of our Atlantic Canada and New England honeymoon cruise. The second time was a drive from Montreal to take my aunt who was visiting from the Philippines to some religious shrines in Québec. The third time was a five-day family trip with our then-six-year old son. And the latest one was a four-day trip to accompany our then-ten-year-old son when he qualified for a national chess tournament held in the city.
Ironically, I feel I know Québec City a little bit more than Montréal even though I have spent less time there. Our Montréal trips are generally more family-oriented, especially during the early part of our marriage, and when our son was still in his infancy and toddler years. The focus of those visits had been to spend time with Oma and Opa at their house, and play with the cousins, mostly at my sister-in-law's backyard pool. Hence, even though I had gone to Montréal more often, I feel that I had more time exploring Québec City because we had always gone there as tourists/visitors.
As our son grows, we are taking more time to go on excursions within Montréal on our own as a family unit and outside our shared time with my in-laws. You can say that despite the number of years living on this side of Canada and the frequency of visits to Montréal, I am still at the stage of getting to know the city. After all, there is always something new to discover, even in your own backyard. And as for Québec City, I am very certain that I will be going back there many, many more times.
With every visit, I gain a new perspective on what both cities have to offer. It’s almost like completing a big puzzle bit by bit, each trip a multi-dimensional piece that provides a glimpse of the bigger picture. One can never really get fully-acquainted with a place until one lives there and mingle with the locals, but I feel that I have a pretty good sense of what Québec embodies, at least from the point-of-view of a barely-French speaking, relatively new East Coast resident, who moved to this side of the country a little more than ten years ago. And each time I visit and depart, I also remember a part of it.
“Je me souviens!”
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