Namur (Quebec – Canada)

Namur is a Canadian municipality in Quebec located in the Regional County Municipality (MRC) of Papineau and in the administrative region of Outaouais.

It was on the initiative of Father Pascal Joseph Verbist (1829-1879) that Belgian emigrants emigrated from Belgium to the canton of Suffolk (Ottawa County) in Quebec. The village of Namur (first called “Little Belgium” or “New Belgium”) was created in 1871 by Victor Frison and Eugène Gourdines. The project aimed to support agricultural immigration to Quebec. Also, even though living conditions are precarious at first, the authorities and the work of the settlers led to the creation, in the medium term, of a prosperous village.

In August 1872, Pascal Joseph Verbist traveled to Quebec to report on the situation of the Belgians in the region. He maintains that the Belgian settlers of Montebello, Papineauville, Ripon and Suffolk “find themselves without exception in a prosperous situation”. There are 7 Belgian families in the canton of Suffolk, for a total of 37 people. The population of Namur in Quebec is therefore mainly composed of Protestant settlers from the British Isles and Franco-Belgian settlers who are mainly Catholic.

It was at the early 2000s that relations between the Municipality of Namur and its Walloon cousin were reactivated. This rapprochement leads to a change in demonym: Namurians become Namurois and Namuroises, like the Walloon city of Namur. The change has been effective since July 2011.

In August 2013, the first Namur Festivals were organized by the Municipality and they brought together for the first time the three “Namur” (Wallonia – Wisconsin – Quebec). It was a success.

In September 2015, a large delegation from the MRC of Papineau traveled to Namur (Wallonia) during the Wallonia Festival where Quebec was the guest of honor. This mission lays the foundations for new collaborations.

In July 2019, the third edition of the Namur Festival took place with a large delegation of dignitaries, folk groups and citizens of Wallonia who came to share and strengthen the bonds of friendship created during the meetings.

The story continues to be written as each party continues to develop their projects.