CAQ leadership: Fréchette could remove article on abortion rights from Quebec constitution bill

Christine Fréchette, a candidate to succeed François Legault, is considering removing the controversial Article 29 from Quebec’s draft constitution, which aims to protect the right to abortion.

“I think that if there is no support for it, we will either have to reword it or remove it,” Fréchette said during a press scrum on Wednesday at the National Assembly.

For now, the bill’s sponsor, Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, is keeping the article in his bill, despite protests from numerous groups, such as the Conseil du statut de la femme, the Fédération du Québec pour le planning des naissances, and the Barreau du Québec.

These groups argue that legislating abortion could open the door to limiting this right for women.

The controversial section states: “The State protects the freedom of women to have recourse to voluntary termination of pregnancy.”

“I see that there is no support for Article 29 in the draft Constitution from women’s groups, and for me, that’s an important point,” said Fréchette, adding that otherwise, she supported Jolin-Barrette’s bill.

“On April 12, there will be a new premier of Quebec. All decisions are made by the cabinet. So, on a host of issues, there will be a new government and we will work as a team, as we have always done, and I am the government leader and it is my role to bring the government together,” said Jolin-Barrette, after Fréchette’s statement.

It should be noted that Martine Biron, when she was minister of status of women, also wanted to legislate to protect abortion rights, but she faced similar criticism. She ultimately gave up on her endeavor.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews