With less than two weeks left in parliamentary business, Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette accuses the opposition of slowing down the study of his draft constitution for Quebec.
“After six obstruction motions, the opposition parties are refusing the outstretched hand to begin the detailed study by adopting the article, which is nonetheless consensual, that prioritizes gender equality over freedom of religion in the event of conflict. Why deprive Quebecers of such a gain?” the minister wrote Tuesday evening on the social network X.
These motions were all rejected. The Liberals, for example, put forward a motion calling for the minister to table the “gender-based analysis” prepared as part of the draft constitution.
For its part, the Parti Québécois tabled a motion calling for First Nations and Inuit to be consulted on the constitution.
As a reminder, the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL) is calling for the outright withdrawal of the Minister of Justice’s legislative piece.
Only the Conservative Party of Quebec – represented in the National Assembly by former CAQ member Maïté Blanchette Vézina – is open to supporting the constitution
Premier Christine Fréchette said that the constitution needed the support of at least one opposition party to be adopted. Minister Jolin-Barrette believes that Conservative support is sufficient.
All other opposition parties are against this constitution. It is also far from being a consensus within civil society.
Initially, Simon Jolin-Barrette wanted to enshrine the right to abortion in the constitution. It would also have prohibited organizations from using public funds to challenge laws considered fundamental to Quebec.
Faced with the outcry, the minister backed down on these controversial elements of his bill.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
