(Ottawa) The Bloc Québécois’ attempt to keep alive the debate in Ottawa on the oath of allegiance that MPs must take to King Charles III prompted a vigorous retort from the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Lieutenant for Quebec, Pablo Rodriguez, during question period on Thursday.
Posted at 4:24 p.m.
“Everyone has their own priorities! […] The Bloc members, Mr. Speaker, at first they were here for their passion. Today, we realize that they are here for their pension, ”he said in response to the second question on the monarchy posed by the Bloc leader, Yves-François Blanchet.
It was enough to cause a heckling of about thirty seconds in the Commons, cries can be heard from the benches bloquistes.
“I don’t know a Bloc member who wouldn’t give up his vote, tomorrow morning, we’re going for independence,” replied Mr. Blanchet a few minutes later during a third question on the same subject where he asked the minister whether his loyalty was “to Charles III or to the people”.
Mr. Rodriguez once again answered that he intends to continue to fight for “the real priorities of all Quebecers”, once again beginning a list including the rise in the cost of living, access to housing, child care and health care.
From his first intervention, the Bloc leader had rather stated what seems to him to be some of the priorities of the government: to challenge the Quebec law on secularism and the strengthening of the Charter of the French language.
Mr. Blanchet had noted that the issue of the oath to the British crown raises a fundamental question. “Who is Canada’s Head of State?” he asked.
Rather than answering that it is Charles III, Justice Minister David Lametti explained that the oath is made “to our institutions and our democracy, of which the sovereign is a part”, adding that the courts have clearly established that ‘”it is not an oath to the person, today Charles III, but to the State he represents”.
The debate stems from the outburst of the deputies of the Parti Québécois then those of Québec solidaire who announced that they refuse to take the oath of allegiance to the king, a rule of oath provided for in the Canadian constitution.
Called to clarify his remarks on the ability of the National Assembly of Quebec to modify the oath alone, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau closed the door on Wednesday to any constitutional change.
Experts on the Canadian constitution consulted by The Canadian Press believe, however, that Quebec could amend the constitution on its own to settle the question, but this is not a unanimous opinion among jurists.
The Bloc members plan to keep the subject on the agenda. They will make it the theme of their first opposition day of the session next Tuesday, when they invite the House to debate ending Canada’s relationship with the British monarchy.