It finally took CAQ, Liberal and Solidarność MPs a dozen minutes, at the very end of the parliamentary session, to approve the bill abolishing the obligation to take the oath to the King of Great Britain.
• Also read: Oath to the King is abolished: Sol Zanetti is relieved that he no longer has to “suffer” under the oath of allegiance
• Also read: Oath to King Charles III: The PQ trio in the program “Le monde à l’envers”
• Also read: Abolition of the King’s Oath: “An important gesture of national affirmation,” says Minister Roberge
From now on, only the oath to the people of Quebec will have to sit in the Blue Room, at least once the law presented by Minister Jean-François Roberge on Tuesday is approved by the Lieutenant Governor, which is generally done within a few hours.
Only a dozen minutes elapsed Friday afternoon between the passage of the principle of the bill and its final acceptance by the three parties present in the Chamber, who had agreed to proceed according to the fast track method.
Only a handful of MEPs were present in the hemicycle to witness this historic moment.
Remember that even the Liberal Party of Quebec, which was initially much less enthusiastic than the other parties about the idea of abolishing the Oath of the King, joined the will of a majority of Quebecers who wanted to put an end to this old monarchical one Tradition.
After years of debate
“We are democrats, not monarchists,” stressed Minister Jean-François Roberge, responsible for democratic institutions, before presenting his bill to parliamentarians for a vote.
“For me, today is a beautiful day, it’s a day of national unity. It touches me deeply. […] It’s a big step for freedom of conscience,” said United MP Sol Zanetti, who has previously testified that he felt “forever besmirched” by the pledge of allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II. Québec Solidaire had introduced a bill in the last mandate to end that oath, but it died on the mandate paper.
“The government is not immune to legal challenges, we want the legal advice it has received to be sound,” Liberal House Speaker Monsef Derraji said.
“This question has taken a lot of public space,” noted the MP for Nelligan, who was pleased to be able to turn “this page of history” to the “real problems” and the “real concerns of Quebecers” when they return to the Chambers on January 31st.
Entry of the PQ on January 31st
The PQ trio must wait until that date before entering the Blue Room. This is a first for PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who was elected MP for Camille-Laurin on October 3.
Remember that last week the three elected members of the Parti Québécois encountered locked doors in the Blue Room when they attempted to enter without King Charles III. having taken the oath.
Minister Roberge’s Bill 4, with only two short clauses, would have pleased PQ members that the bill would have been adopted and approved before the end of the session so that they could sit in the Blue Room at least once before the holidays.
Matane-Matapédia MP Pascal Bérubé specifically accused the other parties of having “agreed” to keep the PQ MPs outside the blue room until the end of the session. “This is the price we must pay when we stand up,” he wrote on Thursday.
“It’s an invoice with two items, so it took ten minutes,” predicted PQ manager Paul St-Pierre Plamondon on Friday morning. The other parties have decided not to deal with this topic until today, so we are not in session. I wanted to ask the Prime Minister a question. I would have loved that. At the same time, if we take a step back, the most important thing is that this problem is solved. »
False conspiracy say the PLQ and QS
The Liberals and Solidarność denied the existence of such an agreement between the parties to prevent the PQ from meeting before the end of the session. They point out that the government is in control of the agenda.
“I will say it very clearly, it is completely wrong,” said Monsef Derraji, leader of the Liberal House of Representatives. Especially as an experienced member, he knows very well how it works, he knows very well that the agenda for studying draft legislation is in the hands of the head of government. »
“I think Mr Plamondon and his two colleagues see conspiracies, intrigues and enemies everywhere. In fact, it’s quite exceptional for a bill to pass so quickly, and that’s a good thing, and we’re glad we’ve managed to move forward quickly,” said Quebec Solidaire spokesman Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
“The deputies of the Parti Québécois could have participated in this democratic exercise, it is their decision to withdraw from their work as parliamentarians in order to pass a law,” commented Prime Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette.