The three deputies of the Parti Québécois (PQ) on Tuesday became the first elected officials in 150 years of Quebec parliamentary history to enter the Blue Room without having taken the oath to the Crown. “It gives us the taste of other victories,” said Paul St-Pierre Plamondon before entering the room.
The leader of the Parti Québécois, the first member of his caucus to have walked the carpet of the Blue Salon, is the one and only to retain his monarchical virginity. His colleagues Pascal Bérubé and Joël Arseneau, elected in 2007 and 2018 respectively, had to pledge allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II during the last mandates.
“All that, we want to make it […] as festive as possible, because it has to be celebrated. We are turning the page on something that was unacceptable,” Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon told the parliamentary press a few moments before question period.
” It is also [ma] first intervention in the House, so it’s a lot of firsts, ”he said.
Refusing stubbornly to pledge allegiance to the King of Canada, Charles III, the PQ deputies had to forgo their seats in December, during the last period of parliamentary work. The National Assembly had succeeded in adopting a bill making the oath optional at the very end of the session, which today allows elected members of the PQ to participate in the work. “With a little perseverance, we do things that bring people together and remind us of the importance of democracy,” said “PSPP” on Tuesday. “It’s a victory because we persevered. »
Once in the House, the PQ leader took advantage of his first speech to table a motion recognizing that “Quebec is a free people and capable of assuming its destiny and its development”. This was adopted unanimously by the National Assembly.
In the morning, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon had taken part in his first parliamentary committee, the one examining Bill 2 “aimed in particular at capping the price indexation rate of Hydro-Québec’s domestic distribution rates and at increase the supervision of the obligation to distribute electricity”.