The Parti Quebecois is having second thoughts about the opting-out clause in its proposed Charter of Quebec Values.
Faced with certain defeat of its Charter of Values in the National Assembly, says it is willing to compromise on certain aspects of its controversial proposal.
Jean-Francois Lisée said the government will not agree to a CAQ offer of a more modest charter, but will reconsider how quickly the widespread ban on the wearing of religious icons would be applied.
"Well we think that on the question of the transition, how do we go from here to a neutral state, a more neutral state that we wish the opting-out clause has been debated," said Lisée.
"Are there other ways that we can manage the transition? We're open to proposals about that."
When Democratic Institutions Minister Bernard Drainville first proposed the quasi-secularization Charter he said that institutions and cities would be able to opt out for a five-year renewable term.
Every city on the island of Montreal, as well as the leading mayoral candidates for the city of Montreal, was quick to declare the Charter will never apply in their region.
Lisée said that was not what the PQ had in mind when they proposed the opt-out clause, and said it would be unacceptable for Montreal to permanently run under a different set of rules than the rest of the province.
The most recent polls indicate the PQ proposal has sharply divided Quebecers, with older, francophone men most likely to be in favour and younger adults, along with women and anglophones, are opposed.
The only measures in the proposed charter that gained strong support were a requirement for people receiving or providing government-paid services to show their face.
A majority also wanted the statue of Jesus Christ, given to Premier Maurice Duplessis in 1936, to remain in the National Assembly.
