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Quebec's incoming separatist leader wants to block Crown from swearing-in / Photo: © AFP
Quebec's incoming separatist leader wants to block Crown from swearing-in
Quebec's incoming separatist premier said Tuesday he plans to block the province's lieutenant governor, a representative of the British Crown, from swearing in the new government.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon leads the separatist Parti Quebecois, which is returning to power after 12 years in opposition following an election win on Monday.
The PQ is committed to independence for the French-speaking province, but polls suggest only about 30 percent of Quebecers want to secede.
Surveys indicate that curbing ties with the British monarchy enjoys far more support than Quebec's independence and the PQ leader, known by the initials PSPP, took immediate steps to sideline the official envoy of King Charles III in Quebec.
"The swearing-in of government and opposition members will take place shortly. Before that happens, I requested a legal opinion in order to assess the various options available so that the lieutenant governor does not take part in the initial ceremony," he said.
He reiterated his desire to defund the lieutenant governor and allocate the resources to combating homelessness.
"I obviously do not intend to swear an oath to the King and make lying my first gesture" at the legislature, PSPP added.
"Do we really need someone to come and give the seal of a king before the people can speak? The answer is no."
Canada is part of the Commonwealth and King Charles is the head of state.
Canada's constitution says that every provincial lawmaker must swear an "oath of allegiance" to the lieutenant governor, or their designated representative, before taking their seat.
PSPP refused to take the oath when he was elected as an opposition member of Quebec's parliament in 2022.
The government at the time, known by its French acronym CAQ, passed a law exempting the province from the oath provision.
But that exemption is now subject to a legal challenge.
If the challenge is successful, the seat held by any lawmaker who refused the oath could be deemed vacant.
PSPP maintained the majority French-speaking province of Quebec never agreed to take part in a system backstopped by an oath to a British monarch.
"There is something abnormal about a foreign king coming to tell us what to do," he said Tuesday.
F.Edwards--SFF
