Quebec should be inspired by Alberta's sovereignty act, says PQ

Quebec should be inspired by Alberta, says the Parti Québécois (PQ), as the party applauded the sovereignty bill introduced by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

Under the bill, Smith's cabinet would have the power to rewrite provincial laws without debate in the legislature, in an effort to fend off "Ottawa's overreach."

Danielle Smith's Alberta is more nationalistic than François Legault's Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and his colleague Pascal Bérubé noted on Friday.

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"Alberta goes much further than the CAQ in indicating that when a federal law encroaches on an Alberta power, or creates a prejudice to Alberta, well there is a mechanism where Alberta suspends the effect of that federal law,'' St-Pierre Plamondon said.

"So Alberta is doing more ... putting limits on a federal government ... that disrespects the [legislatures] ... of every Canadian province," he added.

Bérubé went on to say that Alberta was "more nationalistic than the CAQ."

"It's a government that, obviously, is contested in some respects, (...) but they have a voluntarism (...) that means it's not just Alberta first, it's Alberta all the time, unless you think otherwise.

"That should inspire Quebec. Alberta has surpassed the Quebec government in nationalism, it has to be done,'' said Bérubé.

Asked about this during question period on Friday, Premier François Legault suggested the Alberta government was going too far.

"What the premier of Alberta is proposing is to give the government the power to do things without going through the legislative assembly. I don't know if that's what the PQ is proposing?" he said.