The Constitutional Act 1791 created the Parliament of Lower Canada. It consisted of two chambers, the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly. That parliament and both chambers were abolished in 1841 when the 1840 Act of Union merged Upper Canada and Lower Canada into a single province named the Province of Canada. The Act of Union created a new Parliament of the Province of Canada, also composed of a Legislative Council and a Legislative Assembly. That Parliament had jurisdiction over the entire province, with members from Lower Canada and Upper Canada in both houses.
The Constitution Act, 1867 (formerly known as the British North America Act), created the Dominion of Canada, and also created the provinces of Ontario and Quebec by splitting the old Province of Canada into two, based on the old boundaries of Lower Canada and Upper Canada. The act created a new bicameral Legislature for the province of Quebec, composed of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly of Quebec.
In 1968, Bill 90 was passed by the government of Premier Jean-Jacques Bertrand, abolishing the Legislative Council and renaming the Legislative Assembly the "National Assembly", in line with the more strident nationalism of the Quiet Revolution. Before 1968, there had been various unsuccessful attempts at abolishing the Legislative Council, which was analogous to the Senate of Canada.
In 1978, television cameras were brought in for the first time to televise parliamentary debates. The colour of the walls was changed, allegedly to suit the needs of television, and the salon vert (green hall) became the salon bleu (blue hall).
In 1984, Canadian ForcescorporalDenis Lortie stormed into the Parliament Building and opened fire, killing three government employees and wounding thirteen others. His intended target was Premier René Lévesque and his Parti Québécois government, however he was around 15 minutes early and the Assembly floor was still mostly empty; no politicians were shot. He surrendered to police hours later.[3]
The Fontaine de Tourny east of the Parliament Building
Constructed between 1877 and 1886, the Parliament Building features the Second Empire architectural style[4] that was popular for prestigious buildings both in Europe (especially France where the style originated) and the United States during the latter 19th century.
Although somewhat more sober in appearance and lacking a towering central belfry, Quebec City's Parliament Building bears a definite likeness to the Philadelphia City Hall, another Second Empire edifice in North America which was built during the same period. Even though the building's symmetrical layout with a frontal clock tower in the middle is typical of legislative institutions of British heritage, the architectural style is believed to be unique among parliament buildings found in other Canadian provincial capitals.[citation needed] Its façade presents a pantheon representing significant events and people of the history of Quebec.
In 1936, Maurice Duplessis hung a crucifix in the Legislative Assembly chamber. It hung there for 83 years, until it was removed on 10 July 2019.[5]
Additional buildings were added, adjacent to the Parliament Buildings:
Édifice Honoré-Mercier was added from 1922 to 1925 to house the Ministries of the Treasury (Finance), the Attorney General and the Secretary General of the National Assembly.
Édifice Pamphile-Le May added from 1910 to 1915 for the Library of the National Assembly, various other government offices and for the Executive Council.
Elections
General elections are held every four years or less. Since 2014, the legislature has had a fixed four-year term, with elections taking place no later than "the first Monday of October of the fourth calendar year following the year that includes the last day of the previous Legislature."[6] However, the lieutenant governor, acting on the advice of the premier, can dissolve the legislature and call an election earlier. Any Canadian citizen at least 18 years old who has been residing in Quebec for at least six months qualifies to be on the electoral list.
Normally, the lieutenant governor invites the leader of the political party with the largest number of elected candidates to form the government as premier (premier ministre in French; French does not make a distinction between premier and prime minister).
Quebec's territory is divided into 125 electoral districts (ridings). In each riding, the candidate who receives the most votes is elected and becomes a member of the National Assembly (MNA). This is the first-past-the-post voting system. It tends to produce strong disparities in the number of seats won compared to the popular vote, perhaps best exemplified by the 1966 (wrong-winner result), 1970 (false-majority result), 1973, and 1998 election (wrong-winner and false-majority result).
Quebec elections have also tended to be volatile since the 1970s, producing a large turnover in seats. Consequently, existing political parties often lose more than half their seats with the rise of new or opposition political parties. For instance, the 1970 and 1973 saw the demise of the Union Nationale and rise of the Parti Québécois, which took power in 1976. The 1985 and 1994 elections saw the Liberals gain and lose power in landslide elections. The 2018 elections saw the rise of the Coalition Avenir Québec, which took power for the first time.
Note: Bold text designates the party leader, the Parti Québécois leader currently does not have a seat in the National Assembly, and Québec Solidaire's leadership is shared by Massé and Nadeau-Dubois.
Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) swear two oaths: one to the Canadian monarch as Quebec's head of state, and a second one to the people of Quebec. Previous Parti Québécois premier René Lévesque added the second oath.[7]
One of the members of the National Assembly is elected as President of the Assembly (a post called speaker in most other Westminster System assemblies). Any member of the assembly is eligible to stand for election, other than party leaders and Cabinet ministers. The election is the first order of business for a newly elected assembly. It is conducted by secret ballot of all members, with successive rounds of voting if needed before one candidate gains a majority of the votes.[8]
The president of the assembly is the arbiter of the parliamentary debates between the members of the government and the members of the Opposition. In order for a member to address the assembly, the member speak through the president. The president is usually a member of the governing party.
The proceedings of the National Assembly are broadcast across Quebec on the cable television network Canal de l'Assemblée nationale.
^An Act respecting the National Assembly, CQLR 1982, c. A-23.1, s. 2
^"Canadian Parliamentary Review - Article". www.revparl.ca. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
^Useful Information – National Assembly of Quebec. Assnat.qc.ca (October 29, 2012). Retrieved July 12, 2013.
^"Crucifix removed from National Assembly's Blue Room". CBC News. July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
^An Act to amend the Election Act for the purpose of establishing fixed-date elections, L.Q. 2013, c. 13, s. 3
^Dougherty, Kevin. . The Gazette. Montreal. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
^La procédure parliamentaire du Québec, 3e édition (Québec: Assemblée nationale du Québec, 2012), pp. 140-147.
Bibliography
Assemblé nationale du Québec (2000). What is the National Assembly?, Québec: Assemblée nationale, 58 p. (ISBN2-550-30165-X)
Deschênes, Gaston (1983). The Assemblée nationale: Its Organization and Parliamentary Procedure, Québec: Assemblée nationale, 53 p. (ISBN2551047595) [1st ed. in 1977]
External links
National Assembly of Quebec website
(in French)
(in French)
Data about the current president of the Assembly
January 26, 2023
national, assembly, quebec, blue, chamber, redirects, here, other, uses, blue, room, disambiguation, officially, french, assemblée, nationale, québec, legislative, body, province, quebec, canada, legislators, called, mnas, members, national, assembly, french, . Blue Chamber redirects here For other uses see Blue Room disambiguation The National Assembly of Quebec officially in French Assemblee nationale du Quebec 1 is the legislative body of the province of Quebec in Canada Legislators are called MNAs Members of the National Assembly French deputes The King in Right of Quebec represented by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec 2 and the National Assembly compose the Legislature of Quebec which operates in a fashion similar to those of other Westminster style parliamentary systems The assembly has 125 members elected first past the post from single member districts National Assembly of Quebec Assemblee nationale du Quebec43rd Quebec LegislatureTypeTypeUnicameral house of the Quebec LegislatureHistoryFoundedDecember 31 1968 1968 12 31 Preceded byLegislative Assembly of QuebecLeadershipPresidentNathalie Roy since November 29 2022PremierFrancois Legault CAQ since October 18 2018Government House LeaderSimon Jolin Barrette CAQ since October 18 2018Opposition LeaderMarc Tanguay interim PLQ since November 10 2022Opposition House LeaderMarc Tanguay PLQ since September 5 2019StructureSeats125 members of AssemblyPolitical groupsGovernment of Quebec CAQ 90 Official Opposition PLQ 19 Other parties QS 11 Independent 1 Vacant 1 Abstentionist PQ 3 ElectionsVoting systemFirst past the postLast electionOctober 3 2022Next electionOn or before October 5 2026Meeting placeParliament Building Quebec City QuebecWebsiteassnat wbr qc wbr caThe National Assembly was formerly the lower house of Quebec s legislature and was then called the Legislative Assembly of Quebec In 1968 the upper house the Legislative Council was abolished and the remaining house was renamed The office of President of the National Assembly is equivalent to speaker in other legislatures As of the 2022 Quebec general election Coalition Avenir Quebec has the most seats in the Assembly Contents 1 History 2 Parliament Building 3 Elections 4 Members 4 1 Current standings 4 2 Seating plan 4 3 Most recent election 4 4 Changes during the 42nd Quebec Legislature 5 Proceedings 6 See also 7 References 7 1 Notes 7 2 Citations 7 3 Bibliography 8 External linksHistory Edit Quebec Legislative Assembly in 1933 The Constitutional Act 1791 created the Parliament of Lower Canada It consisted of two chambers the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly That parliament and both chambers were abolished in 1841 when the 1840 Act of Union merged Upper Canada and Lower Canada into a single province named the Province of Canada The Act of Union created a new Parliament of the Province of Canada also composed of a Legislative Council and a Legislative Assembly That Parliament had jurisdiction over the entire province with members from Lower Canada and Upper Canada in both houses The Constitution Act 1867 formerly known as the British North America Act created the Dominion of Canada and also created the provinces of Ontario and Quebec by splitting the old Province of Canada into two based on the old boundaries of Lower Canada and Upper Canada The act created a new bicameral Legislature for the province of Quebec composed of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly of Quebec In 1968 Bill 90 was passed by the government of Premier Jean Jacques Bertrand abolishing the Legislative Council and renaming the Legislative Assembly the National Assembly in line with the more strident nationalism of the Quiet Revolution Before 1968 there had been various unsuccessful attempts at abolishing the Legislative Council which was analogous to the Senate of Canada In 1978 television cameras were brought in for the first time to televise parliamentary debates The colour of the walls was changed allegedly to suit the needs of television and the salon vert green hall became the salon bleu blue hall In 1984 Canadian Forces corporal Denis Lortie stormed into the Parliament Building and opened fire killing three government employees and wounding thirteen others His intended target was Premier Rene Levesque and his Parti Quebecois government however he was around 15 minutes early and the Assembly floor was still mostly empty no politicians were shot He surrendered to police hours later 3 Parliament Building EditMain article Parliament Building Quebec The Fontaine de Tourny east of the Parliament Building Constructed between 1877 and 1886 the Parliament Building features the Second Empire architectural style 4 that was popular for prestigious buildings both in Europe especially France where the style originated and the United States during the latter 19th century Although somewhat more sober in appearance and lacking a towering central belfry Quebec City s Parliament Building bears a definite likeness to the Philadelphia City Hall another Second Empire edifice in North America which was built during the same period Even though the building s symmetrical layout with a frontal clock tower in the middle is typical of legislative institutions of British heritage the architectural style is believed to be unique among parliament buildings found in other Canadian provincial capitals citation needed Its facade presents a pantheon representing significant events and people of the history of Quebec In 1936 Maurice Duplessis hung a crucifix in the Legislative Assembly chamber It hung there for 83 years until it was removed on 10 July 2019 5 Additional buildings were added adjacent to the Parliament Buildings Edifice Andre Laurendeau was added from 1935 to 1937 to house the Ministry of Transport Edifice Honore Mercier was added from 1922 to 1925 to house the Ministries of the Treasury Finance the Attorney General and the Secretary General of the National Assembly Edifice Jean Antoine Panet was added from 1931 to 1932 for the Ministry of Agriculture Edifice Pamphile Le May added from 1910 to 1915 for the Library of the National Assembly various other government offices and for the Executive Council Elections EditGeneral elections are held every four years or less Since 2014 the legislature has had a fixed four year term with elections taking place no later than the first Monday of October of the fourth calendar year following the year that includes the last day of the previous Legislature 6 However the lieutenant governor acting on the advice of the premier can dissolve the legislature and call an election earlier Any Canadian citizen at least 18 years old who has been residing in Quebec for at least six months qualifies to be on the electoral list Normally the lieutenant governor invites the leader of the political party with the largest number of elected candidates to form the government as premier premier ministre in French French does not make a distinction between premier and prime minister Quebec s territory is divided into 125 electoral districts ridings In each riding the candidate who receives the most votes is elected and becomes a member of the National Assembly MNA This is the first past the post voting system It tends to produce strong disparities in the number of seats won compared to the popular vote perhaps best exemplified by the 1966 wrong winner result 1970 false majority result 1973 and 1998 election wrong winner and false majority result Quebec elections have also tended to be volatile since the 1970s producing a large turnover in seats Consequently existing political parties often lose more than half their seats with the rise of new or opposition political parties For instance the 1970 and 1973 saw the demise of the Union Nationale and rise of the Parti Quebecois which took power in 1976 The 1985 and 1994 elections saw the Liberals gain and lose power in landslide elections The 2018 elections saw the rise of the Coalition Avenir Quebec which took power for the first time Members EditCurrent standings Edit Main article 43rd Quebec Legislature Cabinet ministers are in bold party leaders are in italic and the president of the National Assembly is marked with a Name Party Riding Pierre Dufour CAQ Abitibi Est Suzanne Blais CAQ Abitibi Ouest Andre Morin Liberal Acadie Karine Boivin Roy CAQ Anjou Louis Riel Agnes Grondin CAQ Argenteuil Eric Lefebvre CAQ Arthabaska Luc Provencal CAQ Beauce Nord Samuel Poulin CAQ Beauce Sud Claude Reid CAQ Beauharnois Stephanie Lachance CAQ Bellechasse Caroline Proulx CAQ Berthier France Elaine Duranceau CAQ Bertrand Mario Laframboise CAQ Blainville Catherine Blouin CAQ Bonaventure Simon Jolin Barrette CAQ Borduas Cadet Madwa Nika Liberal Bourassa Sauve Isabelle Charest CAQ Brome Missisquoi Paul St Pierre Plamondon PQ Camille Laurin Jean Francois Roberge CAQ Chambly Sonia LeBel CAQ Champlain Mathieu Levesque CAQ Chapleau Jonatan Julien CAQ Charlesbourg Kariane Bourassa CAQ Charlevoix Cote de Beaupre Marie Belle Gendron CAQ Chateauguay Sylvain Levesque CAQ Chauveau Andree Laforest CAQ Chicoutimi Sona Lakhoyan Olivier Liberal Chomedey Martine Biron CAQ Chutes de la Chaudiere Mathieu Rivest CAQ Cote du Sud Elisabeth Prass Liberal D Arcy McGee Benoit Charette CAQ Deux Montagnes Sebastien Schneeberger CAQ Drummond Bois Francs Francois Tremblay CAQ Dubuc Kateri Champagne Jourdain CAQ Duplessis Alice Abou Khalil Liberal Fabre Stephane Sainte Croix CAQ Gaspe Robert Bussiere CAQ Gatineau Gabriel Nadeau Dubois QS Gouin Francois Bonnardel CAQ Granby Eric Girard CAQ Groulx Alexandre Leduc QS Hochelaga Maisonneuve Suzanne Tremblay CAQ Hull Carole Mallette CAQ Huntingdon Audrey Bogemans CAQ Iberville Joel Arseneau PQ Iles de la Madeleine Greg Kelley Liberal Jacques Cartier Sol Zanetti QS Jean Lesage Filomena Rotiroti Liberal Jeanne Mance Viger Joelle Boutin CAQ Jean Talon Andre Lamontagne CAQ Johnson Francois St Louis CAQ Joliette Yannick Gagnon CAQ Jonquiere Chantale Jeannotte CAQ Labelle Eric Girard CAQ Lac Saint Jean Marc Tanguay Liberal LaFontaine Eric Caire CAQ La Peltrie Linda Caron Liberal La Piniere Isabelle Poulet Liberal Laporte Christian Dube CAQ La Prairie Francois Legault CAQ L Assomption Andres Fontecilla QS Laurier Dorion Celine Haytayan CAQ Laval des Rapides Marie Louise Tardif CAQ Laviolette Saint Maurice Lucie Lecours CAQ Les Plaines Bernard Drainville CAQ Levis Isabelle Lecours CAQ Lotbiniere Frontenac Genevieve Guilbault CAQ Louis Hebert Frederic Beauchemin Liberal Marguerite Bourgeoys Shirley Dorismond CAQ Marie Victorin Enrico Ciccone Liberal Marquette Simon Allaire CAQ Maskinonge Mathieu Lemay CAQ Masson Pascal Berube PQ Matane Matapedia Haroun Bouazzi QS Maurice Richard Francois Jacques CAQ Megantic Ruba Ghazal QS Mercier Virginie Dufour Liberal Mille Iles Sylvie D Amours CAQ Mirabel Nathalie Roy CAQ Montarville Jean Francois Simard CAQ Montmorency Michelle Setlakwe Liberal Mont Royal Outremont Monsef Derraji Liberal Nelligan Donald Martel CAQ Nicolet Becancour Desiree McGraw Liberal Notre Dame de Grace Gilles Belanger CAQ Orford Mathieu Lacombe CAQ Papineau Chantal Rouleau CAQ Pointe aux Trembles Andre Fortin Liberal Pontiac Vincent Caron CAQ Portneuf Sonia Belanger CAQ Prevost Yves Montigny CAQ Rene Levesque Pascale Dery CAQ Repentigny Jean Bernard Emond CAQ Richelieu Andre Bachand CAQ Richmond Maite Blanchette Vezina CAQ Rimouski Amelie Dionne CAQ Riviere du Loup Temiscouata Brigitte Garceau Liberal Robert Baldwin Nancy Guillemette CAQ Roberval Vincent Marissal QS Rosemont Louis Charles Thouin CAQ Rousseau Daniel Bernard CAQ Rouyn Noranda Temiscamingue Genevieve Hebert CAQ Saint Francois Dominique Anglade Liberal Saint Henri Sainte Anne Chantal Soucy CAQ Saint Hyacinthe Louis Lemieux CAQ Saint Jean Youri Chassin CAQ Saint Jerome Marwah Rizqy Liberal Saint Laurent Manon Masse QS Sainte Marie Saint Jacques Christopher Skeete CAQ Sainte Rose Christine Frechette CAQ Sanguinet Christine Labrie QS Sherbrooke Marilyne Picard CAQ Soulanges Lionel Carmant CAQ Taillon Etienne Grandmont QS Taschereau Pierre Fitzgibbon CAQ Terrebonne Jean Boulet CAQ Trois Rivieres Denis Lamothe CAQ Ungava Ian Lafreniere CAQ Vachon Mario Asselin CAQ Vanier Les Rivieres Marie Claude Nichols Liberal Vaudreuil Independent Suzanne Roy CAQ Vercheres Alejandra Zaga Mendez QS Verdun Frantz Benjamin Liberal Viau Valerie Schmaltz CAQ Vimont Jennifer Maccarone Liberal Westmount Saint LouisSeating plan Edit Last update April 20 2021 Kelley Maccarone Benjamin Derraji Polo Rotiroti Sauve Rizqy Ciccone Leduc Fontecilla Arseneau Perry Melancon L Lecours Guillemette OuelletteRobitaille Charbonneau Nichols Fortin Anglade Menard Melancon Montpetit Rousselle Dorion Marissal Roy Gaudreault Girard Allaire FournierGaudreault Birnbaum Theriault Barrette Leitao Arcand Tanguay St Pierre Weil Ghazal Labrie Zanetti Hivon Boutin Bussiere JacquesDavid Masse Nadeau Dubois Lessard Therrien Berube Richard Lamothe ProvencalLeBel I LecoursOuellet LemieuxParadisPicard JeannotteBelanger D Tardif GrondinFoster Asselin CaronBonnardel S LeBel Roberge Martel Lavallee Chassin Reid M TardifPicard Chasse D Amours Laframboise Guilbault Legault Jolin Barrette E Girard McCann Fitzgibbon N Roy Lemay Simard IsaBelle Dansereau CampeauSoucy Skeete Rouleau Laforest Dube Lefebvre Caire M Blais Carmant Lamontagne Charette Lachance S Levesque Bachand M Levesque S BlaisSamson Hebert Dufour Lacombe C Proulx Charest Schneeberger Girault Julien Boulet M Proulx Lafreniere Poulin Emond Thouin Tremblay Note Bold text designates the party leader the Parti Quebecois leader currently does not have a seat in the National Assembly and Quebec Solidaire s leadership is shared by Masse and Nadeau Dubois Members of the National Assembly MNAs swear two oaths one to the Canadian monarch as Quebec s head of state and a second one to the people of Quebec Previous Parti Quebecois premier Rene Levesque added the second oath 7 Most recent election Edit Main article 2022 Quebec general election Changes during the 42nd Quebec Legislature Edit Number of membersper party by date 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022Oct 2 Oct 4 Oct 5 Dec 10 Mar 11 Aug 30 Dec 2 Dec 15 Dec 17 Mar 30 Apr 12 Jun 4 Jun 15 Jun 18 Sep 14 Nov 1 Nov 13 Apr 11Coalition Avenir Quebec 74 75 76 75 74 75 74 75 76Liberal 31 30 29 28 27Quebec solidaire 10Parti Quebecois 10 9 8 7Conservative 0 1Independent 0 1 2 3 4 5 4 5 6 5 4 5 4 Total members 125 124 125 124 125 124 125Vacant 0 1 0 1 0 1 0Proceedings EditOne of the members of the National Assembly is elected as President of the Assembly a post called speaker in most other Westminster System assemblies Any member of the assembly is eligible to stand for election other than party leaders and Cabinet ministers The election is the first order of business for a newly elected assembly It is conducted by secret ballot of all members with successive rounds of voting if needed before one candidate gains a majority of the votes 8 The president of the assembly is the arbiter of the parliamentary debates between the members of the government and the members of the Opposition In order for a member to address the assembly the member speak through the president The president is usually a member of the governing party The proceedings of the National Assembly are broadcast across Quebec on the cable television network Canal de l Assemblee nationale See also EditExecutive Council of Quebec List of Quebec general elections List of Quebec premiers List of Quebec leaders of the Opposition Politics of Quebec Timeline of Quebec historyReferences EditNotes Edit Citations Edit https laws lois justice gc ca PDF CONST f pdf bare URL PDF An Act respecting the National Assembly CQLR 1982 c A 23 1 s 2 Canadian Parliamentary Review Article www revparl ca Retrieved June 13 2021 Useful Information National Assembly of Quebec Assnat qc ca October 29 2012 Retrieved July 12 2013 Crucifix removed from National Assembly s Blue Room CBC News July 9 2019 Retrieved July 14 2019 An Act to amend the Election Act for the purpose of establishing fixed date elections L Q 2013 c 13 s 3 Dougherty Kevin A government of all Quebecers Couillard says The Gazette Montreal Archived from the original on April 4 2019 Retrieved March 25 2018 La procedure parliamentaire du Quebec 3e edition Quebec Assemblee nationale du Quebec 2012 pp 140 147 Bibliography Edit Assemble nationale du Quebec 2000 What is the National Assembly Quebec Assemblee nationale 58 p ISBN 2 550 30165 X Deschenes Gaston 1983 The Assemblee nationale Its Organization and Parliamentary Procedure Quebec Assemblee nationale 53 p ISBN 2551047595 1st ed in 1977 External links EditNational Assembly of Quebec website National Assembly historical data in French Diagram of the positions in the Assembly in French Data about the current president of the Assembly Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title National Assembly of Quebec amp oldid 1126496320, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
