Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon Unveils Cabinet and Faces Monarchy Challenge
Quebec Premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon will officially unveil his 22-minister cabinet and take his oath of office at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the National Assembly in Quebec City, marking the Parti Québécois’s return to power after more than a decade, cbc.ca reported. The swearing-in ceremony unfolds amid a historic break with tradition and a pending courtroom challenge over the province’s rejection of the British monarchy.
The newly minted minority government takes power following the Oct. 5 provincial election, where the sovereigntist party secured 59 of the legislature’s 127 seats, falling just five short of a majority, according to cbc.ca and Castanet. St-Pierre Plamondon’s cabinet features 22 ministers—six fewer than the previous administration led by Christine Fréchette, cbc.ca reported.
PQ names ministers for education, finance and immigration
According to Radio-Canada sources cited by cbc.ca, four prominent portfolios go to seasoned and newly elected members of the National Assembly. Joël Arseneau, the MNA for the Magdalen Islands and an opposition member since 2018, takes over the education portfolio. Nicolas Marceau returns to the finance ministry he held under Pauline Marois’s government between 2012 and 2014, while Terrebonne MNA Catherine Gentilcore assumes the immigration ministry, cbc.ca reported.
Additional appointments include former Bloc Québécois MP Alain Therrien as treasury board president and minister responsible for government administration. Stéphane Paquet, former president and CEO of Montréal International, is part of the cabinet, while Anne Nguyen takes over artificial intelligence and digital affairs, according to cbc.ca.
St-Pierre Plamondon asks Lieutenant-Governor to skip swearing-in
Wednesday’s ceremony marks the first time a lieutenant-governor—representing the British monarchy—will not preside over a Quebec cabinet swearing-in, cbc.ca reported. St-Pierre Plamondon sent a letter asking Lieutenant-Manon Jeannotte not to attend, stating his party’s firm commitment to abolishing the monarchy in provincial democratic institutions, according to The Globe and Mail. Jeannotte will watch from her office and still sign appointment letters, while the provincial secretary-general attends in person, The Globe and Mail reported. St-Pierre Plamondon pledged to redirect the $60 million annual cost of the governor-general and lieutenant-governor offices toward homelessness initiatives, according to The Globe and Mail.
Lawyers argue over optional oath to the King
The swearing-in coincides with legal battles at the Montreal courthouse over Law 4, a 2022 provincial law that made the oath to the British monarch optional for MNAs, cbc.ca and CTV News reported. During Tuesday’s Superior Court hearing, a lawyer representing a legal challenge argued that MNAs sitting without swearing allegiance to the King makes the legislature unlawfully constituted, asking for an interim stay before the parliamentary session reconvenes on Nov. 17, cbc.ca and CTV News reported. Government lawyers countered that the challenge lacks standing and has not disrupted government operations, with a judge expected to render a decision in the coming month, CTV News reported.
Why the Lieutenant-Governor is absent from the ceremony?
Why is the Lieutenant-Governor absent from the swearing-in ceremony?
Premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon wrote a letter asking Lieutenant-Manon Jeannotte not to attend because the Parti Québécois is firmly committed to abolishing the monarchy in Quebec’s institutions, The Globe and Mail reported. Jeannotte will still sign the official appointment letters from her office, while the secretary-general attends the ceremony, according to The Globe and Mail.
What is the status of the legal challenge regarding the oath to the King?
A Quebec Superior Court judge heard arguments Tuesday on an injunction request seeking to suspend Law 4, the 2022 statute that made swearing allegiance to the British monarchy optional for MNAs, cbc.ca and CTV News reported. The plaintiffs argue the National Assembly will sit unlawfully on Nov. 17 without the oath, while government lawyers maintain the challenge lacks standing, CTV News reported.
How many seats did the Parti Québécois win in the election?
The Parti Québécois won 59 out of 127 seats in the Oct. 5 provincial election, forming a minority government just five seats short of a majority, cbc.ca and Castanet reported.
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