Latest news with #PartiQuébécois
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
The Québec solidaire candidate in Terrebonne switches to the Parti Québécois
Archives - Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon celebrates with candidate Catherine Gentilcore, second from left, after she won the by-election in Terrebonne on Monday, March 17, 2025. (The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi) The candidate who represented Québec solidaire (QS) in the Terrebonne by-election, Nadia Poirier, is leaving the party to join the Parti Québécois (PQ). Poirier made the announcement on social media on Sunday, just over two months after the by-election, which PQ candidate Catherine Gentilcore easily won. A few days after the by-election, in which she finished fourth with 4.55 per cent of the vote, Poirier publicly lamented the lack of support from QS during the campaign. On Reddit, Poirier pointed out, among other things, that no QS MNAs had come to Terrebonne with her to campaign, except co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal for a 'solidarity beer.' On Sunday, Poirier revealed that this was 'only the tip of the iceberg of what [she] criticizes the party for.' 'But since I prefer to wash my dirty laundry in private, I shared the rest of my grievances with them privately. The result remains the same: I am leaving Québec Solidaire,' she announced. Poirier justified her move to the PQ by saying that she had read the party's national platform and found 'particularly progressive elements, ideas that overlap with those of QS, refreshing proposals.' 'When you put aside the QS-PQ rivalry, you realize that we are not so far apart,' she wrote. Poirier stated that she will continue to campaign for independence. She also said she hopes for a 'sovereignist convergence' with a view to a third referendum. Poirier also ran for QS in Terrebonne in the 2022 general election. She finished third, behind the Coalition Avenir Québec and the PQ. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French June 2, 2025.
Globe and Mail
29-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Quebec's National Assembly unanimously votes to break ties with the monarchy
Quebec's National Assembly had a parting gift for King Charles III on Tuesday: a unanimous motion to abolish the monarchy in Quebec. Within hours of the sovereign leaving Canada after his brief visit to open Parliament and deliver the Throne Speech, the blue chamber of the provincial legislature voted 106-0 to cut all ties between the Crown and the province. The motion does not bind the government to act, and constitutional experts agree that enacting it would be nearly impossible, but the gesture highlighted the stark difference in feeling toward all things regal in English and French Canada. King Charles delivers Throne Speech asserting Canada's sovereignty, pledging major transformation in economy The leader of the sovereigntist Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, put forward the motion, but every party in the legislature supported it, with no abstentions, including the governing Coalition Avenir Québec and the staunchly federalist Liberals. The practical implications of the motion would include jettisoning Quebec's Lieutenant-Governor, the representative of the Crown in the province, who formally appoints ministers, signs laws and launches elections. The leftist Québec solidaire suggested replacing her with an 'administrator' until the province becomes independent, as QS would like. 'I have nothing against the English,' Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon said in a scrum Tuesday. 'It's just not my king. It's not my country. And I don't understand why we throw tens of thousands of dollars every year at these institutions. I find it unacceptable.' Quebeckers have always had a complicated relationship with a monarchy that some still view as a symbol of conquest. Today, the overwhelming sentiment is one of crushing indifference: 87 per cent of respondents in a recent Léger poll said they felt no attachment to the Crown. The Quebec government has taken steps in recent years to diminish the place of the monarchy in public life. In 2022 it scrapped the requirement for members of the National Assembly to pledge allegiance to the King, after a stand-off with deputies from the PQ who refused to do so. In 2023 the National Assembly approved a motion calling to abolish the role of lieutenant-governor. But bringing this week's motion into force would require much more drastic action, said Jean-François Gaudreault-DesBiens, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Montreal. To break with the monarchy in Quebec would require abolishing it across Canada, a step that would involve constitutional reform agreed to by all the provinces and the federal government. 'It's a bit of wishful thinking,' Prof. Gaudreault-DesBiens said. 'As long as Quebec wants to remain within the constitutional order of Canada – so unless it achieves independence – it has to play by the rules.' The PQ, currently leading in the polls, has promised a referendum on independence during its first mandate if elected. But despite the party's popularity, support for Quebec sovereignty is hovering around a historic low amidst U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to annex Canada. The office of Premier François Legault declined to say Wednesday whether it would take steps to abolish the monarchy in Quebec, but spokesperson Ewan Sauves defended the government's support for the motion. 'We are a nationalist government,' he said in a statement. 'We are responding above all to the people of Quebec. It's clear for us that a majority of Quebeckers don't recognize themselves in the monarchy. And remember: Quebec is a distinct nation within Canada. The motion adopted yesterday is in that spirit.' With reports from The Canadian Press
National Post
28-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Quebec legislators vote to cut ties with British monarchy after King's visit
Article content QUEBEC — On the same day King Charles III delivered a throne speech in Ottawa heaping praise on Canada, the National Assembly Tuesday adopted a motion calling on Quebec to abolish all ties with the monarchy. Article content Article content Presented by Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, the motion states that Quebec is the only custodian of the democratic expression of the Quebec people. Article content It notes a majority of Quebecers feel no attachment to the British monarchy and that 'the National Assembly agrees to abolish the link between the Quebec state and the British monarchy.' Article content The motion was adopted without debate. The vote was unanimous with 106 MNAs from the Coalition Avenir Québec government and the other two opposition parties, the Liberals and Québec solidaire, voting in favour of the PQ motion. Article content The vote came on the same day as King Charles III delivered a historic address in the Senate Chamber in Ottawa, quoting the words of the Canadian national anthem. Article content 'The True North is indeed strong and free,' he said to the applause of MPs, Senators and number guests. Article content But at the legislature in Quebec City, the speech was greeted with a mix of indifference and ridicule. Article content 'I didn't listen to it,' Premier François Legault said on his way out of question period in the afternoon. 'I was in meetings.' Article content Simon-Jolin Barrette, the Minister Responsible for Canadian Relations, said the same thing, adding he would listen to it later. Article content But the opposition parties had plenty of opinions on the presence of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Canadian soil. Article content 'What a bizarre country Canada is,' Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal said at a news conference. 'To affirm its sovereignty, it believes it is important to bring the monarch of a foreign country here to talk about its priorities.' Article content QS was the first party to propose the abolition of the oath to the monarch MNAs used to have to swear before taking their place in the legislature. In December 2022 a law was adopted making the oath optional after PQ MNAs were briefly barred from sitting because they refused to take the oath. Article content Now QS wants to go further, calling on the CAQ government to put an end to the funding Quebec provides for lieutenant-governor — the king's representative at the legislature — to pay for things like office space, staff and a car and driver. Article content The Quebec budget this year included $758,000 to pay those costs. The salary of the lieutenant-governor is paid by Ottawa. The post is currently occupied by Manon Jeannotte. Article content The day after she was named in December 2023, the National Assembly adopted a motion calling for the post to be abolished. Nothing has happened as a result of that motion because, in reality, the government can't do much about the post in the short term. Article content While much of the job is ceremonial, Quebec laws do not become legal unless they have the royal sanction, which is Jeannotte's job. Article content QS has argued the lieutenant-governor's legal functions could be replaced by an administrator, a move that would require the support of the federal government and the other provinces. Article content Asked about the obstacles ahead, Ghazal insisted the first step is to at least start talking about it. Article content 'People said abolishing the oath would be impossible and yet we got it abolished,' Ghazal said. Article content QS says in the meantime Quebec, on its own, could stop funding the lieutenant-governor's office, a message she recently delivered to Jolin-Barrette who, she said, has taken note of the idea. Article content The CAQ's own 2015 platform called for elimination of the post of lieutenant-governor. Article content St-Pierre Plamondon started into the theme at his morning news conference, laughing off the idea that U.S. President Donald Trump will somehow be influenced by the presence of the king who came to Canada on the invitation of Prime Minister Mark Carney. Article content '(Carney's) best card is Charles III, a monarch from another country based on a colonial tradition that is oppressive to francophones and First Nations?' St-Pierre Plamondon told reporters. 'It's out there. It's so abnormal. And, of course, from a Quebec standpoint, it's not acceptable. Article content 'If you think or anyone else here thinks that Donald Trump will stop saying things that are either random or hostile to Canada because Charles III was giving a speech today, I don't know what game we're playing right now. It just doesn't make sense.' Article content Interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay, who said he is no fan of the monarchy, noted that abolishing the post requires a Constitutional amendment, which is no small order. Article content
CTV News
28-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Quebec legislature votes unanimously to cut all ties with the monarchy
Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon during Question Period at the National Assembly, May 1, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press) King Charles III had barely left the country as the National Assembly unanimously adopted a motion on Tuesday to cut all ties with the monarchy. The motion was tabled by PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon after Question Period, on a red-letter day in another parliament, Ottawa, where the monarch delivered the Speech from the Throne for the first time since 1977. The PQ motion was adopted unanimously, with 106 votes in favour and no abstentions. Even the federalist Liberals, who are more attached to Canadian institutions, voted in favour, as did the CAQ government benches. The vote was at 3:06 pm. The King had just left Canada shortly after 1 p.m., at the end of a short two-day visit. On Tuesday, he was welcomed by crowds of curious onlookers who lined Wellington Street, where he was escorted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 27, 2025. By Patrice Bergeron, The Canadian Press
CBC
22-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Quebec plans to shift costs of agreements with Indigenous people to Hydro clients
The Legault government wants Hydro-Québec customers to assume the costs of "reconciliation" agreements signed with First Nations people and Inuit, preventing Quebec from losing dividends it receives from the Crown corporation. Economy Minister Christine Fréchette presented the idea on Wednesday during the study of Bill 69, which lays the foundation for an integrated energy resources management plan. Two weeks before the end of the parliamentary session, she tabled a total of 52 amendments to her predecessor Pierre Fitzgibbon's bill, which contains 157 clauses. Opposition parties were surprised because the idea to socialize the costs of agreements with Indigenous peoples is unusual. Liberal energy critic Gregory Kelley called the amendment a major change, saying "we've always used Hydro-Québec dividends." "If we change this model and the consumer assumes the costs of signing agreements with Indigenous communities, I worry this could create some tension," he said. Liberal MNA Brigitte Garceau asked on Wednesday who had been consulted in preparation for the amendments. Discussions were held within the government and with Hydro-Québec, according to Fréchette. Pascal Paradis, Parti Québécois energy critic, said the practice would go against current rules by Quebec's energy regulator, the Régie de l'énergie. The Régie does not allow for costs linked to electricity production to be integrated into the calculation of customer distribution rates. Fréchette explained that the goal was to "smooth out over [50 years]" the cost of the agreements" so the impact would not be as great in a year when there are many agreements compared to a year when there are fewer or none at all. "We want to increase the number of partnerships that we have with First Nations people" and "most of the agreements we're talking about are still to come," she said. Already more than $60M in agreements Fréchette gave examples of two agreements reached in April and May 2024. The first one signed by Hydro-Québec with the Conseil des Innus d'Unamen Shipu aims to settle disputes related to the construction of the Lac-Robertson Generating Station on the North Shore and provides for a payment of $32 million over 23 years. The second agreement, reached between the Crown corporation and the Conseil des Innus de Pakua Shipi, stems from discussions on the Lac-Robertson complex. It provides for a payment of $28 million over 23 years. Relationships with Indigenous people are central to Hydro-Québec's action plan to increase the number of energy projects in the coming years, since most of the projects are located on their territories. Paradis said that the "debate is not about the merits of the agreements" but about what is considered in distribution rates. He said he can't imagine including "past agreements for facilities built a very long time ago." "Lac-Robertson should not have any influence over the rate that Ms. Nadeau of Gatineau will have to pay," he said. Paradis proposed removing that calculation from the amendment, but Fréchette asked for the discussion to be postponed until Thursday. Haroun Bouazzi, Québec Solidaire energy critic, also expressed his surprise at the number of amendments Fréchette tabled. He added that not everyone has had the chance to comment on the changes she made.
