A compromise seems to be taking shape on the question of the oath to King Charles III in the National Assembly. On Wednesday, the parliamentary leader of the Coalition avenir Québec, Simon Jolin-Barrette, said he was ready to pass a law that would allow Quebec MPs to opt out.
“The government is ready to move quickly with the tabling of a bill,” declared Mr. Jolin-Barette after a meeting with his opposition counterparts.
This opening, however, did not change much in the position of the Parti Québécois, which maintains that a legislative measure is not necessary. Québec solidaire, for its part, welcomed the advent of this avenue: it is “a new element, an important element”, underlined the parliamentary leader of the party, Alexandre Leduc.
It remains to be seen how this scenario could unfold. Would the deputies in solidarity be ready to abstain from sitting until the law is adopted? Or could they agree to take an oath one last time in order to vote on the bill? Mr. Leduc did not want to say it: “I have to discuss all this with my team. »
On Tuesday, the outgoing president of the National Assembly, François Paradis, told elected officials who had not taken the oath to the king that they risked being expelled from the Blue Room.
Negotiations begin
On Wednesday, the parliamentary leaders of the four political parties represented in the National Assembly met for the first time to prepare for the resumption of work on November 29. At the heart of the exchanges: the place that will be given to each of the opposition parties.
However, the discussions are just beginning, they said in substance at the end of the meeting. “We want to go there in stages,” said the parliamentary leader of the PQ, Madelinot MP Joël Arseneau.
Remember that the day after the elections, the Liberal leader Dominique Anglade was hesitant to grant the status of parliamentary group to QS and the PQ, as was the case during the previous legislature. It then allowed them to have a parliamentary leader, offices and more speaking time during the work of the National Assembly.
Without him, the 14 PQ and solidarity deputies would rather be treated as independent elected representatives.
The PLQ garnered just over 14% of the votes and had 21 deputies elected on October 3, while QS and the PQ obtained a similar share of the votes but only have 11 and 3 deputies respectively. To automatically obtain the status of parliamentary group in the National Assembly, a party must have 12 deputies or have won 20% of the votes during the last elections. Failing that, he can only obtain it by agreeing with the other parties present.