PQ calling on other parties to support Conservatives, restore democratic balance
The Parti Québécois (PQ) has agreed to the three demands made by Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) leader Éric Duhaime, who is seeking access to the national assembly for his party.
In the last general election, the Conservative Party won the support of 530,786 voters and 12.91 per cent of all valid ballots, according to Elections Quebec, but did not get any of its candidates elected.
Québec solidaire (QS) received 15.43 per cent of the vote and had 11 candidates elected. The PQ, which has three MNAs, received 14.61 per cent of the vote, while the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), with 14.37 per cent of the vote, elected 21 of its candidates.
Since the Conservatives have no MNAs, Duhaime wrote a letter asking that his party be allowed to hold news conferences at the national assembly, have access to an office, and have access to in-camera sessions.
In a news release supporting the Conservative demands, PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon wrote that if a party gets 13 per cent of the vote, it deserves to have at least one forum to be heard in the national assembly. He added that the Conservative Party's demands cost nothing in public funds.
St-Pierre Plamondon feels that the current voting system has caused an unprecedented distortion in the composition of the national assembly, and everything must be done to restore some democratic balance.
He criticized the fact that some political parties have recently shown little appetite for a real democratic rebalancing. The PLQ, the CAQ and QS have only sought to reform the method of allocating resources because it benefits them, according to him.
He is calling on the other leaders, Premier François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois of QS and Marc Tanguay of the PLQ, to support the Conservative Party's demands.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 28, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Getting the lowest mortgage rates in a high interest rate world
The challenges facing home buyers mean it's all the more important to do research and negotiate on rates, mortgage experts say, though they also caution that there's more to focus on than just what looks like the cheapest upfront option.