René Chaloult (January 26, 1901 – December 20, 1978) was a

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

politician in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

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. He is best known for submitting a motion for the

Flag of Quebec The flag of Quebec (), called the in Quebec French, French, represents the Canadian province of Quebec. It consists of a white cross on a blue background, with four white fleur-de-lis, fleurs-de-lis. It was the first provincial flag officially ...

Background

He was born on January 26, 1901, in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Political career

Chaloult first won a seat to the

Legislative Assembly of Quebec A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the authority, legal authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with th ...

as a Union Nationale candidate in the 1936 election in the district of Kamouraska. In 1937, he and colleagues

Oscar Drouin Oscar Drouin (September 29, 1890 – July 16, 1953) was a politician in Quebec, Canada. Background He was born on September 29, 1890, in Quebec City. Member of the legislature Drouin won a by-election in 1928 and became the Liberal Membe ...

Joseph-Ernest Grégoire Joseph-Ernest Grégoire (; July 31, 1886 – September 17, 1980) was a French Canadian politician. Background He was born in Disraeli, Quebec on July 31, 1886. He was an attorney and a professor. Member of the Barreau du Quebec in 191 ...

Philippe Hamel Philippe Hamel (October 12, 1884 – January 22, 1954) was a nationalist and progressive politician in Quebec, Canada. Background He was born on October 12, 1884, in Quebec City. His father was Charles-Antoine-Auguste and his mother was Sophie ...

and Adolphe Marcoux left the Union Nationale.Chronologie parlementaire depuis 1791 (1937-1939)
/ref> Chaloult joined the Liberals and won re-election in the 1939 election as the Member for the district of Lotbinière. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Chaloult opposed

conscription Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...

. He won re-election as an

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in Québec-Comté electoral district in the

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and 1948 elections, but was defeated in the 1952 election and in the district of

Jonquière-Kénogami Jonquière-Kénogami was a former provincial electoral district in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada that elected members to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec. It was created for the 1956 election, from parts of the existi ...

in the 1956 election. Chaloult retired to live at his summer home in Kamouraska. Each year on July 1, he would fly the Quebec flag outside his summer home at half-staff to show his nationalist inclinations.

Death

He died on December 20, 1978.

Legacy

For many years, Chaloult urged Quebec to adopt a distinctive design for its

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

. On November 19, 1946, Chaloult entered a motion to provide Quebec with a unique flag. Two years later, the motion was to be voted on January 21, 1948. However, the opportunistic government of

Maurice Duplessis Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis, (; April 20, 1890 – September 7, 1959) byname "Le Chef" (, "The Boss"), was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 16th premier of Quebec. A Conservatism in Canada, conservative, Quebec nationalism, ...

instead issued a decree creating the current Quebec flag.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaloult, Rene 1901 births 1978 deaths Politicians from Quebec City Quebec Liberal Party MNAs Union Nationale (Quebec) MNAs Université Laval alumni Flag designers 20th-century members of the National Assembly of Quebec