Quebec Constitution: Jolin-Barrette in favour of consultation open to general public

Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette has shown contrition in the face of opposition and is in favour of holding a general consultation, open to the general public, on his draft Quebec constitution.

The information, first reported by La Presse, was confirmed by The Canadian Press on Thursday.

“We have always said that we would be open. The draft we presented is unifying, and our goal has always been to rally Quebecers around the Quebec constitution,” the minister’s office said in a written statement sent to The Canadian Press.

Initially, the minister had committed to holding specific consultations.

According to the National Assembly website, special consultations are intended to hear “the opinions of individuals or organizations with specific knowledge or experience in the field,” while general consultations are open to everyone.

Individuals and groups would have until November 12 to submit their briefs, and the consultation would begin on November 25, according to an email from the minister sent to the opposition parties.

Even before it was tabled, the draft constitution had been criticized by the opposition parties, who lamented the lack of prior consultation.

“We welcome the fact that the CAQ seems to have heard our concerns, but we remain cautious: the devil is in the details. We would have preferred an itinerant formula, and we reiterate that this process should have been launched well before the draft constitution was drafted,” the Liberals said Thursday.

Minister Jolin-Barrette tabled his draft constitution in the National Assembly last week. In an unusual move, the three opposition parties voted against its tabling.

Jolin-Barrette said he was confident he could rally the opposition to his initiative.

Giving Quebec a constitution was the first recommendation of the report by the Advisory Committee on Constitutional Issues, which tabled its report last November. The committee also states that “the process must be non-partisan.”

With its draft constitution, the government wants to prohibit organizations from using public funds to challenge laws considered fundamental to Quebec, such as Bill 96 on the French language and Bill 21 on the secularism of the state.

It also wants to strengthen equality between men and women and protect the right to abortion.

The Quebec constitution project in a few points:

• Replacement of the title of lieutenant governor with that of officer of Quebec;
• Protection of the National Assembly’s right to use the notwithstanding clause;
• Integration of an updated Gérin-Lajoie doctrine to strengthen Quebec’s capacity to act internationally;
• Creation of a Constitutional Council that will give its opinion, in particular, on the consequences of federal interference;
• Quebec’s participation in the process of appointing senators and Supreme Court judges.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews