QUEBEC CITY -- The national assembly will be functional even if Québec Solidaire (QS) and the Parti Québécois (PQ) are not recognized with official party status, according to government house leader, Simon Jolin-Barrette.
The outgoing Minister of Justice was asked to comment on the issue of party recognition on Tuesday in the hallway of the national assembly before the swearing-in ceremony for the 90 CAQ MNAs began.
Jolin-Barrette said that contrary to what QS co-spokesperson Manon Massé said last week, there will be no “mess” in the assembly if 14 of the MNAs sitting are independent.
“She is wrong," he said in a press scrum. “During the last legislature, there were some independent members and we continued to work with them. At one point, I think there were even five or six.”
“The government is going to make the national assembly work, whether it is a recognized party or not. The Liberal Party is thinking about it. (...) But we are showing openness. It will be negotiated during the meetings," added Jolin-Barrette.
For now, neither the PQ nor QS meet the criteria needed to attain party status in the national assembly, which requires winning at least 12 seats or 20 per cent of the vote.
QS won 11 seats with 15.43 per cent of the vote, while the PQ won three seats with 14.61 per cent of the vote. Party status can be granted, however, if all parties agree.
The status gives a political party more resources and speaking time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first publioshed on Oct. 18, 2022
