Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste

The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society (French: Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste) is an institution in Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec sovereignism. Its President from 2009 to 2014 was Mario Beaulieu who subsequently became leader of the Bloc Québécois. The society's current president is Maxime Laporte, known for being coordinator (president) of Cap sur l'indépendance, an umbrella group of various independentist organisations.

The society was created by Ludger Duvernay, a journalist for La Minerve, in Lower Canada. It evolved from the Société Aide-toi et le ciel t'aidera ("help yourself and Heaven will help you") founded by Duvernay on March 8, 1834. Most notably, it made June 24, St. John the Baptist day, the national day of the Quebecers. In 1922, June 24 became a public holiday in Quebec, and since 1977 it has been the national holiday of Quebec.

In the 1830s, Lower Canadians of British and (French) Canadian origin founded various charitable and social societies. On December 19, 1834, the English of Lower Canada established the Saint George's Society of Montreal and the Saint George's Society of Quebec on October 12, 1835. The Irish of Lower Canada founded the St. Patrick's Society of Montreal on March 17, 1834 also. The Canadiens founded what would become the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society on June 24, 1834. On February 6, 1835, the Scots of Lower Canada established Saint Andrew's Society of Montreal. The German Society of Montreal was also founded in 1835.

The society adopted the Carillon Sacré-Coeur flag in the 19th century and its association with the flag was made quasi-official by the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in 1926. Between 1903 and the 1940s it was promoted as "the flag of French Canadian Catholics". It was the model for the Flag of Quebec and inspired Quebec politician René Chaloult, one of the designers of the Quebec flag. This flag has since been largely forgotten except as a family heirloom.

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