Societe Saint-Jean Baptiste Cinderellas

Just had to show these last few - 2 in middle and also the bottom are commemorating the original authors of the Canadian National anthem . Top is Louis Frontenac with saying saveure de nouvelle france which translates as savior of new france which I am sure is refering to Quebec. Mr Frontenac's face looks rather chisled or extremely sunburnt and cracked.

Recommend : google for Jean Baptiste og2.pdf document
(Opus 2)

Yours are not shown.

Here is a catalogue of SSJB stamps - 14 pages of them:

http://www.jlafontaine.com/index.php?c=19&lg=1

There's a difference between "sauveur" and "saveur". One means savior, the other means flavour.

By the way, my grand-father designed a couple of SSJB stamps. I'm pretty sure my father still as some nice pages of those stamps.

I'm from Montreal and I didn't know that the Société Saint-Jean Baptiste issued some cinderellas for years. It seems they stopped doing it in the 1990's. The SSBJ has for mission to protect and promote the french language, our history and independence of Quebec. Every year they organise the festivities and the parade on June 24, Quebec National Day. We simply call this day "La Saint-Jean". I like my french language, I know my history but Quebec place is within Canada. Quebec independence is not very popular by now and one of the reason is the arrival in Quebec of many immigrants in the last 20 years. The vast majority of them want Quebec to be part of Canada. In a sense the low fertility rate of the french in Quebec has work against the independence supporters.

I grew up in a french speaking small area in SW Ontario but it was really a half french half English sort of slang. Unfortunatly the issues with Quebec's seperation attemps has many English areas frowning on the language . French is still taught throughout elementary school and at least 1 credit in High school is required in Ontario. I'm a firm believer in Quebec being a very important part of Canada as a whole and it is hard to swallow these seperatist ideas as they keep arising. Just my deux cents !

I wouldn't say "frowning on the language", more like frowning on the language laws which make English secondary even in there own neighborhoods. Though I have lived in B.C. for 25 years, I grew up on the english West Island, and the majority thrive to learn French and go to French immersion school. At least that is in the english areas of Montreal, for Ontario I can't really say.

The loss of Quebec (if separation) and the French culture would be a terrible blow to Canada (and Quebec).

Language is a big issue in Quebec and always will be. BeeSee is right, french is the official language in Quebec. Despite that many french Montrealer speaks english as a second language, like me, and some immmigrants are multilingual. Montreal is surely the city in North America were there is the greater proportion of multilingual speaking more than two languages. I'm for the language laws because it help protecting the french identity of Quebec but it's great I know english and be able to participate to this forum.

Funny thing now, I am in Louisiana now on business. It used to be french, but not anymore. No one speaks french, no french signs, but some people have french names and many french place names.

Just did a quick search on the net and according to Wikipedia many students there now learn french.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_French

But there they speak cajun french not the same as spoken in Quebec. Not long ago I found out that there use to be a "Lacoste" plantation in Louisiana and that black slaves that work there took my family name. So there are blacks in Louisianna with the family name "Lacoste".

Lucky BeeSee to be in Louisiana. Never been there. Have a good "Gumbo"!

Enjoy da Gumbo and watch out for da rougarou . So may southern shows on TV nowadays as soon as you mention Louisiana I think of that french accented southern lingo.