PQ details plan for sovereign Quebec constitution

On Thursday, the Parti Québécois (PQ) released the third chapter of its Blue Book, which details how the constitution of a sovereign Quebec will be written.

As soon as it wins the election, the PQ wants to set up a commission to consult with Quebecers across the province with the aim of drafting a provisional constitution.

These consultations will last between one and two years. “We will answer questions such as: the borders; the capital; the flag; the oath of allegiance; the constitution of political institutions; who is the head of state; how the government is organized; how the courts work; and questions about the political rights of citizens,” explained PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon at a press conference on Thursday at the National Assembly.

This provisional constitution will have to be adopted by the National Assembly, but will only come into force once Quebec is independent. Its purpose is to ensure stability and continuity.

Two to four years after independence takes effect, the PQ will establish a Constituent Assembly whose mandate will be to write the permanent constitution.

The text will then have to be adopted after a public consultation. The PQ leader assured that First Nations will be consulted.

The PQ chose the day consultations on the CAQ constitution began to table this new chapter of the blue book. The PQ leader did not fail to criticize the Legault government’s constitutional project.

“What is most troubling about the CAQ’s draft constitution at this point is that it is the result of closed-door work between a few constitutional experts and Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette’s office, which raises serious questions about its legitimacy,” St-Pierre Plamondon.

In the second chapter of its blue book, the PQ indicated its desire to give an independent Quebec its own currency. The first chapter focused on international relations.

Even though the PQ is at the top of the polls, support for independence does not reach the majority threshold. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon nevertheless insists that he will hold a referendum during his first term.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews