Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day takes place during the time of the year’s longest days, near the summer solstice. This year, Quebec has chosen to dedicate the national holiday to celebrating the 75th anniversary of Guy Lafleur’s birth in 1951 in Thurso. This also follows last year’s passage of the law recognizing ice hockey as Quebec’s national sport.
During his career, Guy Lafleur played for both of Quebec’s NHL teams in the 1970s and 1980s. Already a legend, he returned to the League at the age of 37.
On the ice, he was known for his talent and leadership. Off the ice, he was admired as an ambassador for hockey and his role in the fight against cancer. An aviation enthusiast, he was a helicopter pilot and became honorary colonel of the 12th Radar Squadron at CFB Bagotville. After his death in 2022, the province recognized him with a state funeral in Montreal.
La Saint-Jean
In 1834, the feast of Saint John the Baptist, patron saint of French-Canadians, became a national celebration. It officially became a public holiday in 1978, in part to make it more accessible to the entire population and also to give it a more unifying and inclusive secular character, regardless of Quebeckers’ origins or religions.
Bonne fête nationale to all our members in Quebec!
