Parti Quebecois MNAs refuse to swear oath to King as legislature opens; will not sit
The 43rd session of Quebec's national assembly opened Tuesday without three of its members after the Parti Quebecois MNAs refused to swear the oath of office to King Charles III.
Consequently, PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, and MNAs Pascal Berube and Joel Arseneau can not take their places in the 125-seat legislature.
Plamondon said his caucus won't swear the "humiliating" oath, adding that they will try to enter the national assembly on Thursday.
"We continue to believe that this oath is archaic and has no place," the party said in a news release.
To sit, elected members must take two oaths of loyalty: one is to the people Quebec and the other to the King, as required by the Canadian Constitution.
Outgoing Speaker Francois Paradis ruled in November that all elected members must take the oath to the King or risk being expelled from the legislature.
On Tuesday, St-Pierre Plamondon called on newly appointed Speaker Nathalie Roy to reconsider her predecessor's position on the matter.
TWO BILLS ON THE OATH
On Thursday, Quebec Solidaire plans to introduce a bill to make the oath to the King optional, while House Leader Simon Jolin-Barrette said the CAQ will introduce a bill next week.
Jolin-Barrette said there is no competition between the two bills, even though they deal with the same subject. Since the government's bill will not be tabled until next week, though, there may not be enough time to pass it during the shortened eight-day session.
"It is our hope that it will be passed before Christmas," Jolin-Barrette added.
ROY TO SERVE AS SPEAKER
CAQ Premier Francois Legault on Tuesday appointed Montarville MNA Roy to succeed Paradis.
Roy served as culture minister in the last term, and would become the second-ever female president of the assembly, joining Parti Quebecois MNA Louise Harel, who served briefly in the position in 2002.
In addition, Conservative Party of Quebec leader Eric Duhaime has said he should be given a permanent place in the national assembly. He said he will send a letter to Roy asking for special status as his party received 13 per cent of the vote (over half a million votes), but did not have an MNA elected.
NEW LOOK ASSEMBLY
There will be 37 new MNAs out of the 125 that took their seats Tuesday, including the new PQ leader and eight new ministers.
With 90 MNAs (up from 74), the CAQ is even stronger than it was in 2018. Forty-one of the record 57 female MNAs in the 125-seat parliament will be in the CAQ benches.
Former Liberal leader Dominique Anglade will, however, not be among the new ranks after stepping down shortly after her party's crushing defeat on Oct. 3.
DEMONSTRATIONS OUTSIDE
The PQ led two demonstrations in front of the national assembly on Tuesday.
The first took place at noon in favour of electoral reform. The PQ has been vocal about the electoral system in the province that saw the party win just three seats despite getting 14.6 per cent of the vote.
The second took place at 1 p.m. against the mandatory King's oath.
- With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
China balloon: Many questions about suspected spy in the sky
The massive white orb drifting across U.S. airspace has triggered a diplomatic maelstrom and is blowing up on social media. A look at what's known about the balloon crossing the U.S. and what isn't.
Dozens of soldiers freed in Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap
Dozens of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war have returned home following a prisoner swap, officials on both sides said Saturday.
Marit Stiles officially confirmed as Ontario NDP leader by majority vote
Marit Stiles has been confirmed as the new leader of the Ontario NDP after a majority of party members voted in favour of the lone candidate.
W5 Investigates
W5 Investigates | Daniel Jolivet insists he's not a murderer and says he has proof
Convicted murderer Daniel Jolivet, in prison for the past 30 years, has maintained his innocence since the day he was arrested. W5 reviews the evidence he painstakingly assembled while behind bars. W5's documentary 'Buried Evidence' airs Saturday at 7 p.m. on CTV.
Poor oral health could affect the brain later in life: early study
An early study has shown keeping your gums and teeth healthy may have added benefits for your brain health.
Oldest preserved vertebrate brain found in 319-million-year-old fish fossil
The oldest preserved vertebrate brain has been found in a 319-million-year-old fossilized fish skull that was removed from an English coal mine over a century ago.
In Tyre Nichols' neighbourhood, Black residents fear police
In a terrible way, the death of Tyre Nichols brings vindication to members of the Black community in Memphis who live in terror of police.
One in four Canadian cancer patients still experiencing cancelled appointments: survey
In the field of cancer treatment, nothing is more important than diagnosing and treating the problem as quickly as possible — but according to new survey data, about one in four Canadian cancer patients report that they are still experiencing cancelled or postponed appointments.
50-car train derailment causes big fire, evacuations in Ohio
A train derailment and resulting large fire prompted an evacuation order and a declaration of a state of emergency in an Ohio village near the Pennsylvania state line on Friday night, covering the area in billows of smoke lit orange by the flames below.
Toronto
-
Marit Stiles officially confirmed as Ontario NDP leader by majority vote
Marit Stiles has been confirmed as the new leader of the Ontario NDP after a majority of party members voted in favour of the lone candidate.
-
Speed cameras clocked a car driving 70 km/h over the limit. Here's how the owner fought the ticket and won
After being charged with speeding by a city-operated photo radar device, a Toronto family was able to successfully fight the charge in court largely due to one small detail.
-
'It's not bouncing back:' Workers continue to return to downtown Toronto but recovery lags behind some cities
Torontonians appear to be returning downtown in greater numbers but the pace of the city’s economic recovery still lags behind many other North American cities, a new study suggests.
Atlantic
-
Power outages affecting 18,000 Maritime customers
With all of the Maritimes still under extreme cold warnings Saturday, more than 18,000 households and businesses are without power, as of 2 p.m.
-
Two North Atlantic right whales disentangled in recent weeks
The first North Atlantic right whale to be entangled in connection to Canada’s lobster fishery in over five years has been successfully rescued by marine mammal rescue responders in the United States.
-
Woman dies in rural N.S. house fire: RCMP
A woman has died after a Friday fire at a home in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis County.
London
-
-
London police seize multiple weapons, drugs during arrest
London police seized nine handguns, cash and drugs during the arrest of a wanted man Thursday afternoon.
-
Marit Stiles officially confirmed as Ontario NDP leader by majority vote
Marit Stiles has been confirmed as the new leader of the Ontario NDP after a majority of party members voted in favour of the lone candidate.
Northern Ontario
-
Four Americans, two Canadians fined $50K for illegal moose hunting in northern Ont.
An investigation that lasted almost two years has resulted in moose hunting violation convictions for six people and a lodge in Red Lake in northwestern Ontario.
-
W5 Investigates
W5 Investigates | Daniel Jolivet insists he's not a murderer and says he has proof
Convicted murderer Daniel Jolivet, in prison for the past 30 years, has maintained his innocence since the day he was arrested. W5 reviews the evidence he painstakingly assembled while behind bars. W5's documentary 'Buried Evidence' airs Saturday at 7 p.m. on CTV.
-
Timmins restaurant robbed 19 times in eight years
The owner of Radical Gardens, a restaurant in Timmins said she's experienced nineteen robberies over the last eight years; with the most recent one taking place in the early morning hours Friday.
Calgary
-
Vandal smashes ice sculpture in Chinatown incident
Friday night, a vandal lent a sour note to a celebratory event in Calgary's Chinatown, when they smashed up an ice sculpture.
-
Political interference alleged in assessment hearings in Matthew de Grood case
Alberta's high court is being asked to overturn a review board decision relating to the stabbing deaths of five young people at a Calgary house party on the grounds the former provincial justice minister interfered.
-
Bedard held off scoresheet but Pats come back in third for 3-2 victory
The Lethbridge Hurricanes kept Connor Bedard off the scoresheet for the first time in 36 games, but it wasn't enough, as the 'Canes lost 3-2 to the Regina Pats Friday night.
Kitchener
-
Three facing charges in Conestoga Mall robbery, one suspect fled in stolen vehicle
Police say they’ve arrested three people and one person was taken to hospital following an armed robbery at Conestoga Mall on Thursday.
-
Kitchener Rangers win Hwy. 7 rivalry matchup at the Aud
The Kitchener Rangers faced off against the Guelph Storm Friday night at the Aud.
-
OPP charge truck driver after flying ice hits vehicle on Highway 401
Ontario Provincial Police are once again reminding drivers to clear the snow and ice off of their vehicles before they head out onto the road.
Vancouver
-
House arrest, probation for old-growth protester who blocked Metro Vancouver traffic
A man who took part in four traffic-stopping protests in Metro Vancouver in an effort to save old-growth forests has been given a conditional sentence and six months' probation by a provincial court judge.
-
Police body cams may help with accountability but not prevent violence, B.C. critics caution
Some legal advocates are questioning the effectiveness of police-worn body cameras as the RCMP plans to roll out the technology across the country.
-
'Hope is disappearing': Canucks fans frustrated over disappointing season
Vancouver Canucks faithful have seen it all during yet another disappointing season - and several say they're frustrated not only with the on-ice performance, but with a lack of answers from the team's front office.
Edmonton
-
Man dead after being found injured in north Edmonton
Police are investigating after the death of a man in the Lago Lindo neighbourhood in north Edmonton on Friday evening.
-
Dozens of soldiers freed in Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap
Dozens of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war have returned home following a prisoner swap, officials on both sides said Saturday.
-
Poor oral health could affect the brain later in life: early study
An early study has shown keeping your gums and teeth healthy may have added benefits for your brain health.
Windsor
-
Local comedian hopes documentary can showcase Windsor’s stand-up scene
A local stand-up comedian is planning to premier a documentary this year that will put Windsor’s comedy community centre stage.
-
Marit Stiles officially confirmed as Ontario NDP leader by majority vote
Marit Stiles has been confirmed as the new leader of the Ontario NDP after a majority of party members voted in favour of the lone candidate.
-
'Wouldn't it be wonderful if they could get it back?': Woman on mission to identity people in old photographs
A River Canard, Ont. woman is on a mission to identify several unknown people in a handful of old photographs she said she found in a box inside her attic. She said she discovered the pictures and postcards while decluttering her home as part of her New Year’s resolution, noticing many date back to the mid 1940s.
Regina
-
Charges laid in death of child on George Gordon First Nation: RCMP
A child has been charged in the shooting death of another child on George Gordon First Nation, according to Saskatchewan RCMP.
-
Shooting in northwest Regina leads police to ask for public assistance
The Regina Police Service (RPS) is asking the public for information to aid in a shooting investigation in northwest Regina.
-
'Small Victory': Sask. reacts to liberal gun amendment removal
Saskatchewan is reacting to the removal of controversial amendment G4 to Bill C-21 by the federal Liberals, which banned certain semi-automatic rifles and shotguns.
Ottawa
-
Barefoot escape after one of four fires in Ottawa Saturday
Ottawa firefighters responded to three fires overnight and a fourth late in the morning as extreme cold gripped the capital.
-
One person injured in crash on Highway 417
Ottawa paramedics say one person was injured in a crash on Highway 417 Saturday morning.
-
This was Ottawa's busiest photo radar camera in 2022
The 17 automated speed enforcement cameras set up in school zones across the city of Ottawa issued a total of 127,939 speeding tickets in 2022.
Saskatoon
-
Sask. mine recruiting hundreds of workers
BHP is moving forward with its plans to build the world's largest potash mine.
-
Charges laid in death of child on George Gordon First Nation: RCMP
A child has been charged in the shooting death of another child on George Gordon First Nation, according to Saskatchewan RCMP.
-
Canada tracked suspected Chinese spy balloon over Canadian airspace since last weekend: sources
The suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was found floating over sensitive military sites in the western United States had been tracked by Canada's government since last weekend as it passed through Canadian airspace, sources tell CTV News.