We would like to respond to recent comments by analyst Jean Baillargeon regarding the National Political Commission of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) and its plan to provide Quebec with a written constitution (“Does the PLQ have a hidden agenda?” The DutySeptember 19, 2024).
We received with great surprise and disappointment your remarks, which completely distort the intentions behind our proposal. At no time does this project aim to gain indirect approval of the Canadian Constitution of 1982.
The idea of a Quebec constitution has been in the PLQ’s mind since 1968, more than 15 years before the unilateral repatriation of 1982. It was more recently put forward again by members of the PLQ as part of efforts to ensure the party’s revival.
By proposing the adoption of a Quebec constitution, we aim to reaffirm Quebec’s skills and particularities within the Canadian federation. This is a strong gesture of nationalist affirmation. This approach is also part of a desire to defend and promote Quebec’s interests, while protecting the rights of minorities, particularly the rights of the English-speaking community in health and education.
It is also incorrect to claim that British Columbia recognized and approved the 1982 Canadian Constitution by adopting its own constitution. The province adopted its first constitution in 1871 following its entry into the Canadian federation, more than a century before the 1982 Constitution was drafted.
Using this example to suggest that the adoption of a Quebec constitution would amount to a backdoor signature of the federal Constitution is historical nonsense.
Transparency
As for the idea that the PLQ might seek to avoid a democratic debate on an issue as important as that of a Quebec constitution, it is completely unfounded. The Liberal Party has always valued the principles of democracy and transparency. An initiative of this magnitude could not be carried out without a process of full and complete involvement of Quebec citizens.
This has always been clear to us and we have expressed it on numerous occasions since the publication of our report on the revival of the PLQ last year. To attribute such intentions to us in the context of such a complex and fundamental debate is totally counterproductive.
A constitution is intended to be the foundation of a nation, the text around which all Quebecers come together, regardless of their convictions, origins and beliefs. This is what we will continue to defend.