Legault to extend parliament, plans to reactivate his government

Opposition parties have denounced the prime minister’s decision to suspend the current session of the legislature, calling the inaugural speech he plans to deliver on October 19 as a political showcase for the upcoming election campaign.

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QUEBEC – Prime Minister François Legault announced plans to suspend the current session of the legislature and will deliver a new inaugural address on October 19.

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In the fourth year of the Avenir Québec Coalition’s government term and with an election scheduled for October 3, 2022, Legault will use the speech to push his government forward and set the tone for the period after the looming pandemic.

Legault made the announcement Thursday just as the house entered recess for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. He was not scheduled to resume work until October 19.

The cabinet will now adopt a decree at its next regular meeting on Wednesday to prorogue parliament. It has to be signed by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, Michel Doyon, to be legal.

The law means legislation currently before the house dies on the spot. However, the government has the option of repealing the bills it wants to pass. That will almost certainly include Bill 96, which restructures the Charter of the French Language.

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Public hearings on that bill concluded Thursday.

The session will not include Bill 49 that reforms the electoral system. Legault said Thursday that there will be no time to approve it.

Quebecers can also look forward to a “mini-budget” in November, possibly November 22.

In a statement, Legault said the new session will allow Quebec to prepare for the post-pandemic period.

“Thanks to the efforts of all Quebecers, we can now begin planning for the post-pandemic,” Legault said. “The last year and a half has transformed us and highlighted crucial issues for Quebec. In addition to meeting our 2018 commitments, we can now immediately begin big changes for future years. ”

He did not hold a press conference to explain his decision, but thinks about the upcoming election campaign.

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Earlier this week, while making a mea culpa for the behavior of NTMs a week earlier on debates about systemic racism, Legault told reporters that he would like to remain in office for another term, and perhaps even a third. if you stay healthy.

Legault is 64 years old.

Politically, he remains in the driver’s seat in Quebec even though he has admitted several times that he needs to learn to be more Zen in front of his critics.

A weekend Léger’s political poll shows that the CAQ dominates the landscape with the support of 47 percent of Quebecers. Liberals continue to support 20 percent, followed by solidarity from Québec with 11 percent.

The Parti Québécois is at 11 percent and the Conservative Party of Quebec at eight percent.

Opposition parties have already denounced Legault’s decision to extend the Chamber, calling the speech he plans to deliver a political showcase for the election campaign.

The prorogation of parliaments does not happen as often in Quebec. Former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Charest was the last to do so when he too wanted to renew his government’s message. That happened on February 22, 2011.

His government was defeated by the PQ in 2012.

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Reference-montrealgazette.com

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