Quebec government tables draft constitution to be ‘law of laws’
The Quebec government has tabled a draft constitution that Premier François Legault says will protect Quebecers’ distinct identity and culture.
The constitution bill, tabled Thursday in the provincial legislature, would take precedence over all other provincial laws and is intended to defend Quebec values and reinforce the province’s autonomy.
“When we look at our history, our survival as a nation was improbable, but we are still here,” Legault said Thursday in the national assembly. “We now have the responsibility to ensure that the history of our beautiful nation continues.”
Legault said the bill would be the “law of laws” in Quebec, and characterized it as the culmination of all the measures his government has taken to strengthen Quebec values, including its secularism law and its overhaul of the French-language law.
It comes as his Coalition Avenir Québec party is lagging in the polls ahead of a provincial election scheduled for October 2026. Opposition parties have spoken out against the draft constitution, saying the government failed to consult with them.
The bill, which is the first new piece of legislation tabled since Legault prorogued the legislature last month, defines a set of collective principles, including the equality of men and women and the status of French as the only common language of Quebec.
It would enshrine the right to abortion as well as access to medical assistance in dying.
It would also forbid organizations that get public funding, such as school boards, from using portions of provincial government grants to pay for court challenges of laws deemed to protect “the fundamental characteristics of Quebec.” The provision is a direct response to legal challenges of Quebec’s secularism law, Bill 21, and its French-language reform, Bill 96.
The constitution bill would also have the Quebec premier recommend who should be appointed lieutenant-governor. Lieutenant-governors are currently appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister. The new legislation would also rename the lieutenant-governor the “officer of Quebec.”
The Quebec premier would also make recommendations for Quebec senators and Supreme Court judges to the prime minister, according to the new bill.
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