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The Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) has been authorized by provincial minister of transport François Bonnardel to create and issue new licence plates for Quebec’s 60,000 veterans.
For the new plate, the insurance board will take inspiration from similar licence plates honouring veterans in other parts of Canada. A draft plate will be presented to the minister by March 31, 2019, CBC News reported.
The new plates will have a radically new design compared to the previous plates issued to veterans, which only has a small poppy that distinguishes it from a regular one.
Pierre Dugal – a veteran and a spokesperson for the committee which had been advocating for plate changes – has called the new plates an “upgrade.”
“It’s a great recognition for those who have sacrificed their lives,” Dugal told CBC News.
While the government will be asking for recommendations on the visual look of the new veteran plates, Dugal said that his group has yet to come up with anything. They have, however, suggested that the new plates display “veterans” or “former combatants.”
In July, Québec approved the creation and distribution of vanity plates, to also be issued by the SAAQ. Notably, vanity plates cost $250 up front, with an annual fee of $34.50 for renewal (compared to the cost of renewal for non-vanity plates, at $11 a year).
