Published on: 2022-10-20 – 10:23
For the first time, Quebec MPs elected in the Oct. 3 election refused to take the oath to the British king. Still, being able to sit in the Quebec National Assembly is an essential act. The eleven representatives of Québec Solidaire, a left-wing formation, see this oath as a colonial act. Their formation wants to come to an agreement with the other political parties in order to circumvent the problem. On Wednesday, another swearing-in ceremony took place in the National Assembly.
With our correspondent in Quebec, Pascale Guericolas
To warm applause from their loved ones, the eleven members of Québec solidaire entered one of the halls of honor at the Quebec National Assembly. Unlike other political parties, elected officials made Charles III. not an oath as required by the Canadian Constitution. On the other hand, according to the Assembly Act, they promised to be loyal to the people of Quebec.
For the parliamentary leader of this left-wing party, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, it is time for the Quebec institution to break away from British symbols: “Everyone knows that in Quebec Solidaire we are not big supporters of the monarchy. That’s the least we can say, it’s been like this since our inception. Oath to the British Crown is a colonial, archaic, outdated practice. The only party that has proposed a solution so that we can move on from this outdated practice is Québec solidaire. »
The Parti Québécois follows in the footsteps of Québec solidaire
This party tabled a bill to change the rules for MPs’ swearing-in at the last session of Parliament, but this did not go to the vote.
On Friday, the elected representatives of the Parti Québécois will follow in the footsteps of their counterparts from Québec solidaire by nominating Charles III. do not swear allegiance. The dissident deputies hope to reach an agreement with the other elected members before the assembly begins work in a month’s time.
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