The Quebec Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barette, has announced in a post on X that the Quebec coat of arms is set to be changed, with the St. Edward's Crown, which sits atop the coat of arms, to be removed."Today, we announced the removal of the crown from the coat of arms of Quebec. The vast majority of Quebecers have no attachment to the British monarchy. The new coat of arms therefore better reflects Quebec identity as it is," wrote Jolin-Barette on X..This announcement seems to be premature, however, as only the Canadian Heraldic Authority via the King has the legal ability to change and edit provincial coats of arms.The change is also puzzling, as Jolin-Barette said ite was because "Quebecers have no attachment to the British monarchy," but the lion passant inside the crest itself remains, despite it representing England, and the crown in this context legally represents the Canadian monarchy, not the British one..The removal of the crown also represents another attempt by the current Quebec ruling party, the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ), to distance themselves from the Canadian monarchy.This change follows the 2022 decision by the CAQ to make the Oath of Allegiance, which politicians swear to the King as a representative of the people, optional for Quebec politicians.There is no word from the Canadian Heraldic Authority on whether the change to the coat of arms has been made official or not.
