In the first order of business for the new Parti Quebecois government, Liberal MNA Jacques Chagnon was acclaimed as speaker of the National Assembly.
Chagnon was the only name on the secret ballot and so won by acclamation. He has held the post since 2011.
The speaker's duty is to keep order in the National Assembly and preside over debates, and immediately following the Sept. 4 election Chagnon started approaching MNAs and campaigning for their support.
"Mr. Chagnon has been doing quite well so far and I think the fact that he's the only candidate is a testament to that," said PQ Minister Bernard Drainville.
"Mr. Chagnon has been doing well and we hope he's going to keep on doing well."
Immediately upon being dragged to the speaker's chair, Chagnon joked that everyone has switched sides since the last session.
On Wednesday Premier Pauline Marois will deliver the Inaugural Speech of the fall session of the National Assembly, and her first since being elected Quebec's first female premier.
She will outline her government's plans, which are well-established: coping with corruption, altering language laws, and dealing with taxes and her budgetary plan.
There have been hints that Marois may introduce a budget bill in the fall, instead of waiting until the spring when governments traditionally introduce the confidence motion.
