Leaders of the four parties represented in the national assembly will meeting Wednesday for the first of what could be a long series of negotiations over the next few weeks to determine the status of Québec solidaire (QS) and the Parti Québécois (PQ) in the Quebec legislature.
The discussions are going to be tough since the issue at stake is power sharing in the national assembly.
The two opposition parties want to be officially recognized as a parliamentary group, even though they do not respect the rules in force.
In order to break the rules and gain the desired status, they must first obtain the support of both the government, formed by the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), and the Liberal official opposition (PLQ). They have until the start of the next parliamentary session, on Nov. 29, to do so.
To be officially recognized as a parliamentary group in the legislature, with all the privileges that go with that status in terms of funding and speaking rights, a party must have obtained 20 per cent of the vote in the general election or have had at least 12 MNAs elected.
Neither the PQ nor QS achieved this, which means parties are set for marathon negotiations this week in order to change the rules.
Both parties are confident they can do so, even though the Parti Québécois elected only three MNAs in the Oct. 3 election, capturing 14.6 per cent of the popular vote, and Québec solidaire elected only 11 MNAs, with 15.4 per cent of the vote.
This "20 per cent or 12 MNAs" rule, which dates back to the 1970s, is perfectly "arbitrary," said PQ MNA Joël Arseneau in a telephone interview on Tuesday. Arseneau is scheduled to attend the meeting on Wednesday with fellow national assembly members: Alexandre Leduc (QS), Marc Tanguay (PLQ) and Simon Jolin-Barrette (CAQ).
Arseneau fears that the government and the official opposition will become defensive and put obstacles in the way of the two other parties seeking recognition.
"At first, we thought that the Liberal Party's resistance looked more important, but today we don't get the impression that the CAQ wants to rise above the fray," said Arseneau.
"That's not the signal they've given us," he added, convinced that the government and the Liberal opposition will be tested in the coming weeks on their ability to demonstrate their "democratic sense."
In principle, however, Jolin-Barrette was open to official recognition of the two parties, but he never specified what form it would take. As Arseneault understands it, the government intends to oppose the idea of granting them the label of "parliamentary group," thereby limiting their powers.
The Official Opposition, led by Dominique Anglade, has 20 MNAs and does not appear to be any more receptive to the idea of sharing a piece of power, even though the Quebec Liberal Party received fewer votes (14.4 per cent) than the other two.
It has pledged to discuss the issue, without making any commitments.
For its part, Québec solidaire expects to repeat the scenario of 2018, when the party was recognized as a parliamentary group, even though it had only 10 MNAs.
"Our expectations are simple, but essential. QS must be recognized as a parliamentary group as it was in 2018. We expect the QLP to rise above partisanship and accept the popular will,'' a party spokesperson said by email.
Opposition parties are demanding speaking rights to put forward their ideas and challenge the government in the House, and need money to hire staff to assist MNAs in their duties.
Wednesday's meeting is expected to last an hour, allowing each party to set out its expectations and gauge the openness of the others.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 1, 2022.
