(Quebec) The Parti Québécois (PQ) failed in its attempt to obtain what it considered to be “the bare minimum” in terms of budget and speaking time to carry out its work in the National Assembly.
On Friday, after long negotiations with the three other parties represented in the National Assembly, the PQ opposition finally resolved to accept what it previously considered unacceptable, namely that it be allocated resources, according to it, clearly insufficient to fulfill its role and disproportionate to the popular support received on October 3.
The agreement, of which The Canadian Press obtained the details, was sealed between the PQ, the party forming the government, the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), that forming the official opposition, the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), and the second opposition group, Québec solidaire (QS).
If the PQ had refused, the three elected would have been considered independent deputies, with even fewer resources at their disposal.
Sunday, in an interview with The Canadian Press, the leader of the PQ, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, said he had come to claim for his political party “the right to exist” in the National Assembly, considering himself reduced to claiming ” bare minimum” to carry out his work in Parliament, from the start of the next session on November 29.
On the budgetary side, he claimed an annual operating amount of $800,000 net (therefore not counting the remuneration of constituency staff). He was initially offered $495,000. On Friday, we settled for $570,000 net, a long way off the mark.
In these circumstances, the staff forming the PQ team of the third opposition group, which has about fifteen people, will probably have to be cut in half.
Then, with regard to speaking rights, the PQ opposition wanted to obtain the guarantee of being able to ask one of the nine questions a day from the ranks of the opposition. He was offered the opportunity to ask 5 questions per cycle of 100 questions. The PQ will still have to settle for little: we finally settled for 7 questions per cycle, or two per week in fact.
The PQ also wanted to have a seat on the Bureau of the National Assembly, the BAN, responsible for managing disputes between parliamentarians and making decisions relating to the functioning of the assembly. He was refused, offering him in exchange the status of “observer”, without the right to speak.
Normally, to obtain full recognition in the Chamber, the regulations of the National Assembly provide that a parliamentary group must have had at least 12 deputies elected or have obtained 20% of the vote. However, the PQ only elected three deputies, but still won 14.6% of the popular vote, which allowed it, according to him, to claim some form of recognition from its peers.
The Liberal Party of Quebec forms the Official Opposition with 14.3% of the vote and 21 MNAs (now 19) and Québec solidaire elected 11 MNAs with 15.4% of the vote. The CAQ obtained 41% of the vote and 90 seats, or 72% of the total of 125 seats.
During question period, one of the main windows reserved for the opposition to assert itself and challenge the government, the speaking time reserved for each opposition party will therefore be divided as follows: for each cycle of 100 questions, the opposition liberal will be able to ask 62, Quebec solidaire 31 and the PQ only 7.
Consolation prize, the leader of the PQ will officially have the status of leader of a parliamentary group, he will therefore be entitled to the limousine and the bodyguard. But he will not have a House leader to assist him in parliamentary work, as he wished.
In reaction on his Facebook page, the bitter PQ leader said he had obtained the maximum possible under the circumstances, denouncing the fact that the process was not independent, the other parliamentary groups being judges and parties. He says he observed “very little good faith” around the table.
The agreement makes the work of the PQ in the House “virtually impossible”, according to him.
He also criticized Prime Minister François Legault who, the day after the elections, showed himself open to parliamentary recognition of the PQ and to collaboration with the opposition.