The Parti Quebecois and Quebec Solidaire are set to be given official party status in the National Assembly, according to the government house leader, despite only having 10 MNAs each.
In a tweet Thursday night, Simon Jolin-Barrette said all four parties have reached an agreement in principle on the matter.
“The CAQ's goal is to ensure that all members of all political parties have the tools to fulfill their function,” he wrote.
Traditionally parties must have 12 members to be recognized by the National Assembly. Official status allows parties to have access to larger research budgets and will have more speaking time during question period.
Interim PQ leader Pascal Berube said it was imperative all parties receive status.
“700,000 people voted for us. They need the Parti Quebecois to exist totally in the National Assembly. And CAQ doesn't own the government, doesn't own the National Assembly,” he said.
Quebec Solidaire spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau Dubois concurred.
“Starting with us, nobody wants a National Assembly where there are 21 independent MNAs. We've been working hard since the beginning. We will keep working hard,” he said.
