Quebec tables bill eliminating the requirement to swear oath to King
Quebec tables bill eliminating the requirement to swear oath to King
QUEBEC CITY -
The requirement for elected members of the Quebec legislature to swear an oath to King Charles III is coming to an end.
The Minister of Democratic Institutions, Jean-François Roberge, tabled Bill 4 in the national assembly on Tuesday, which will put an end to the crisis that has shaken parliament for weeks over the duty of allegiance Quebec elected officials must swear to the British Crown.
For decades, elected officials have been required to swear two oaths to the people of Quebec and to the Crown in order to sit in parliament. The second part of the oath has long been a source of unease for many MNAs.
In short, the bill tabled on Tuesday stipulates that only the oath of allegiance to the people of Quebec will henceforth be required, and the only one that will be mandatory, the other becoming optional.
This is a victory for the leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ), Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who was elected for the first time in the Montreal riding of Camille-Laurin on Oct. 3, and who refused to comply with a gesture he described as outdated, humiliating and even repulsive.
The PQ leader and the two other PQ MNAs, Joël Arseneau and Pascal Bérubé, cannot sit in the Blue Room and do their work as legislators until Bill 4 is passed and in force.
In a press briefing on Tuesday morning, an optimistic St-Pierre Plamondon said he was confident he would be able to sit in parliament as early as Thursday, should all parliamentarians work hard to speed up the adoption of the bill.
DOMINO EFFECT
It is "definitely possible" to proceed full steam ahead on this issue, according to the sovereignist leader, who said he's convinced that the example in Quebec could well spread across the country, "having a domino effect" in other provinces, also interested in challenging the forced allegiance to the British monarchy.
Quebec's parliamentary session ends on Friday, which leaves just a few days for elected representatives to analyze the text of the bill article by article and take the document through all the stages leading to its adoption. If they can't do that, the PQ members will have to wait until the resumption of parliament in February to hope to enter the Salon bleu for parliamentary proceedings.
Meantime, Québec solidaire had tabled Bill 190 last Thursday, which would have the effect, like Bill 4, of 'recognizing the oath of members to the people of Quebec as the only compulsory oath upon taking office'. However, the government preferred to introduce its own legislation on the subject.
Now all parties in the National Assembly, including the Liberal official opposition, agree that the obligation of the oath to the King of England should be abolished, which should in principle speed up the process of legislations' adoption.
"We're going to work together to get it passed on Friday,'' confirmed interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay, who finally abandoned his initial plan to seek consultations on the constitutionality of such legislation, which would have prolonged the process. He also said that if he is re-elected, he will renounce the oath to the king.
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 6, 2022
A senior government official says a Canadian military assessment team is on its way to Turkiye in the wake of a devastating earthquake that's killed thousands.
A man has been arrested and two children are dead after a driver crashed a city bus into a daycare in Laval, Que. Wednesday morning. The deadly crash sent multiple children to area hospitals and parents scrambling to find their kids shortly after they dropped them off for the day at the Garderie éducative Sainte-Rose, north of Montreal.
Many Canadians are experiencing strains caused by the increased cost of living and inflation. In his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, contributor Christopher Liew shares some of the top credits and deductions that you may be able to claim on your income tax return to help you save money.
The officer who pulled Tyre Nichols from his car before police fatally beat him never explained why he was being stopped, newly released documents show, and emerging reports from Memphis residents suggest that was common.
In a first for the Bank of Canada, it has released a summary of deliberations by its governing council regarding its policy decision to raise its key interest rate target by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.5 per cent in January. Here are five key takeaways from those discussions.
Netflix Canada is rolling out its long-anticipated plans to crack down on password sharing, saying it will begin notifying Canadian users today by email about limitations.
The way respiratory viruses have circulated this fall and winter, most Canadians could probably benefit from a hand-hygiene refresher. Here are the latest hand-washing best practices to apply in your daily life.
Condolences are pouring in on Parliament Hill after a Laval, Que., city bus crashed into a daycare on Wednesday morning, with federal politicians of all stripes expressing their sympathies with the families affected and gratitude to the first responders.
An Ontario lawyer who filed a $229-million lawsuit against his former “sugar baby” for alleged fraud had his case dismissed after the court found he'd become "obsessed" with the young woman when she attempted to end their arrangement.
An Ontario grocery chain said they are seeing an “unprecedented” surge in customers after a recent TikTok revealing the company’s low food prices went viral.
Nova Scotia Health is under the microscope after eight employees were found snooping into medical records. The privacy breaches involve the electronic health records of people associated with the April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia, among others.
Time and the elements have taken their toll on the Kensington Bridge that carries cars, bikes, and pedestrians eastbound from Riverside Drive to Dundas Place. Built in 1930, the heritage structure carries about 9,500 vehicles each day and serves as a vital ink to the core, according to downtown Coun. David Ferreira.
Former London, Ont. high school teacher Dustin Epp, 48, was supposed to appear for his sentencing hearing Wednesday afternoon, but the matter has been delayed until next week due to health-related concerns and to give Epp more time to prepare his legal defence.
A 20-year-old driver from London, Ont. is temporarily without a licence after OPP stopped them for allegedly driving 145 km/h in a 60 km/h zone on Tuesday night.
A grieving family in Noelville, Ont., is reeling after a judge dismissed a trial connected to a 2019 workplace fatality involving a close family member.
The wait is over for ticketholders in the latest Canadian Hard of Hearing Association's Ultimate Dream Home Draw as Pure Country Sudbury morning show hosts pulled the names of the prize winners Wednesday afternoon.
In a case that dates to 2007, Wayne Foster, a former police officer in Sudbury, has been charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation.
The Calgary Police Service asked residents of a northwest neighbourhood to shelter in their homes as officers responded to a situation Wednesday morning involving a firearm.
A memorial has been set up in the area where 30-year-old Karen Cunningham’s body was found, as police in Woodstock continue to investigate her death as “suspicious” in nature.
The Greater Vancouver Food Bank has partnered with 34 new community agencies this year alone, as the organization races to meet record-breaking demands that are showing no signs of slowing.
There are more signs that tensions are high in British Columbia’s health authorities as an outspoken doctor on Vancouver Island has faced professional repercussions and nearly all the critical care doctors at a northern hospital have resigned.
Police in Abbotsford say an erratic driver who was arrested after a 90-minute pursuit by an RCMP helicopter more than a year ago is now facing drug charges.
Marda Management is promising to cover an additional five months of hydro expenses tenants inside 524 Pitt St. W. incurred after going almost a year without heat — but one tenant said further compensation is needed.
Maple tree tapping started a week sooner than usual in southern Ontario where a mild winter has maple syrup hobbyists and producers hoping things cool down. Sap buckets were overflowing less than 24 hours after being installed in Ruscom Station, Essex County — but the warm weather could cut the season short.
As Canada’s premiers rush to absorb the impact of this funding, healthcare leadership in Windsor-Essex is also curious how it will impact the many systemic issues that plague our system.
In a police interview that occurred shortly after the death of a three-month-old Regina baby, the boy's father, Catlin Goodwill, denied wrongdoing. Video of the interview was played during Goodwill's manslaughter trial, bringing many in the courtroom to tears.
The abrupt closure of Ottawa-based Highbridge Construction is having a ripple effect on everyone from homeowners and employees to contractors who say they're owed thousands of dollars.
A man has been arrested and two children are dead after a driver crashed a city bus into a daycare in Laval, Que. Wednesday morning. The deadly crash sent multiple children to area hospitals and parents scrambling to find their kids shortly after they dropped them off for the day at the Garderie éducative Sainte-Rose, north of Montreal.
A Saskatoon couple is left feeling powerless to help their family and friends dig out of the rubble following the two major earthquakes in Turkiye on Monday.
