Arms of the Municipalité de Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier

Blazon

Vert a winged sextant, on a pile Or a Bowen knot interlaced with an annulus Vert;

Symbolism

Green and gold are the municipality’s emblematic colours. Green symbolizes nature, while gold represents sunny days, alluding to Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier as a place of abundant natural beauty and a desirable community in which to live. The triangle evokes both its geographic location, in the valley of the Jacques-Cartier River, and the letter V, the first letter in Valcartier, referring to the name of the municipality and that of the Canadian Forces base situated in the municipality and related to its identity. The loop and ring forming a compass rose is a Celtic knot that symbolizes harmony and travel. It represents the community spirit of the municipality, the exploration that led to its founding, and the Irish and Scottish immigrants who settled there in the 19th century. The cross formed by the quadruple loop also recalls that its land belonged to the Jesuits before it was acquired by four Québec businessmen. The wings embody the Archangel Gabriel and the sextant, exploration and, by extension, the explorer Jacques Cartier, after whom the river and the municipality were named. The wings also allude to poultry farming, a major regional economic driver.