CAQ expected to act quickly on cannabis, school taxes
Now they get down to business. Quebec’s newly elected MNAs will finally meet on common ground Tuesday when the National Assembly — the 42nd legislature in the province’s history — reconvenes for the first time since the Oct. 1 election. It will be a short but intense sitting, starting Nov. 27 and ending two weeks later on Dec. 7, but it will, nevertheless, give Quebecers an idea of where Premier François Legault’s government plans to take the province during the next four years in office. We’ll also get a good look at the state of the opposition that — while split in three parties — holds 49 of the 125 seats, and that can be useful as it tries to push and influence the party in power. Up first, however, is a housekeeping matter: the election of a new speaker to mind the store and keep order among the 125 MNAs. Most of them have no experience in parliament and a limited knowledge of its arcane rules of procedure, so we may witness some pratfalls. There is one known candidate for the speaker’s job: François Paradis, who is the MNA for Lévis. With his powerful booming voice trained from his years as a television host, he will probably be the choice of his colleagues.
He would replace Westmount-Saint-Louis MNA Jacques Chagnon, who officially retires the moment the new speaker takes the chair. Once the speaker is installed, the next step is the inaugural address (which used to be called the speech from the throne) delivered in part by the lieutenant-governor, J. Michel Doyon, but mostly by Legault himself. That will happen Wednesday afternoon some time after 2 p.m. Unlike some of his more poetic predecessors, Legault is expected to deliver a speech focused on citizens and the practical things governments do for them. Officials said Friday the speech will reflect his three priorities: health, education and the economy. And under pressure from various lobbies in the last few weeks, Legault is also expected to add the environment and climate change to his list. His twist, however, is that Quebec’s environmental goals have to be achievable and not just shallow promises. So what can we expect by way of legislation and decisions? Watch for three, possibly four, big moves in the short amount of time the government has to work with. Three big pieces of legislation are expected: A bill to standardize and lower school board taxes across the province. A key election promise for the CAQ, Legault has said the bill will be a priority for his government because it will mean more money in the pockets of Quebecers. A bill to increase the legal age to purchase and consume cannabis from 18 to 21. Another election promise, the CAQ has never been comfortable with 18. It says there is plenty of scientific evidence indicating young brains are affected by cannabis. A poll earlier this month showed a majority of Quebecers favour increasing the age. A bill changing the way the heads of the Sûreté du Québec, the Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC) and the Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (chief Crown prosecutor) are chosen. The CAQ wants them elected by a two-thirds vote of the National Assembly in the same way the province’s auditor-general and ombudsman are chosen. Midway through the session, on Dec. 3, Finance Minister Éric Girard will publish an economic update. Not only will that give Quebecers an idea of the state of Quebec’s books, he will also announce some tax cuts. Call it an early Christmas present. Sometime before Dec. 7, Quebec Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette will make public the CAQ’s plan to reduce the number of immigrants entering Quebec from about 50,000 a year to 40,000 starting in 2019. He has been in intensive talks with the federal government on a plan to make that happen. What won’t be happening in this session is the CAQ’s bill banning religious symbols for persons in authority such as judges and police officers. Legault announced a month ago there would not be time to table that before the Christmas break. But even if the CAQ government — with 74 MNAs — has one of the largest majorities seen in years, the opposition will nevertheless be formidable. Start with the fact there are three opposition parties, the Liberals, the Parti Québécois and Québec solidaire. With 29 seats, the Liberals will form the official opposition, which means they will get the most questions to the government per sitting. The PQ and QS each elected 10 MNAs with the PQ bagging 17 per cent of the popular vote and QS 16 per cent. They will take turns on other questions. Following long drawn-out negotiations, the CAQ and Liberals agreed to give both the PQ and QS party status in the house even if technically they don’t qualify. Normally, you need to elect 12 MNAs and have 20 per cent of the vote to get status. But faced with the prospect of a dysfunctional parliament — with 20 separate independent MNAs each going their own ways on votes and decisions — the bigger parties agreed to give them status in the name of efficiency. It is a big advantage for the PQ and QS. They will be splitting a total of $1.6 million in subsidy money allowing them to hire researchers and support staff. Besides being allowed to ask questions, the parties will get votes on legislative committees. Finally, both interim PQ leader Pascal Bérubé and QS co-spokesperson Manon Massé get government-paid cars and drivers. Usually, they are minivans. The CAQ house leader, Simon Jolin-Barrette, confirmed the parties had a deal over status in a tweet, saying the rights of all MNAs are being respected. The downside for the Liberals is that they have to share the limelight with the two other parties. But emerging from separate caucus meetings in Quebec City this week, the leaders of all three opposition parties said while they intend to act responsibly, they also intend to stand up to the government and ask the hard questions. “We are not marginal,” Bérubé said in reference to the PQ’s slip in the election. “We represent thousands of persons. Parliament does not belong to the CAQ and the Liberals are no longer in government.” Added interim Liberal leader Pierre Arcand: “What we see is that they (in the CAQ) don’t have a coherent vision. It’s going to be even easier to attack because this government does not have a clear set of values.”