Politics · Canada · 3 hrs ago
Quebec court weighs challenge to lawmakers’ oath exemption
A Quebec court is hearing a challenge to the law that lets members of the National Assembly skip an oath of allegiance to King Charles III.
The law passed in 2022, and nearly 100 lawmakers sworn in after Quebec’s Oct.
5 election have declined to take the oath.
Lawyer Lawrence David argues that without it, lawmakers cannot legally sit or vote, and laws they pass could be illegitimate.
The Quebec government says there is no urgent need for a ruling, noting the law has been in place for years and the legislature has continued to function.
Incoming premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has also asked Quebec’s lieutenant-governor to skip his cabinet’s swearing-in, a symbolic step in the Parti Québécois’ push to cut ties with the monarchy.
The lieutenant-governor will still sign ministers’ appointment letters, and the judge is expected to decide before the legislature reconvenes next month.
Quebec premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon asked Lieutenant-Governor Manon Jeannotte not to attend his cabinet’s swearing-in ceremony.
Jeannotte will watch the ceremony on television, while Quebec’s secretary-general will attend in her place.
St-Pierre Plamondon says his Parti Québécois government is committed to abolishing the monarchy’s role in Quebec and plans to eliminate the lieutenant-governor’s office.
The request comes as a court considers a challenge to Quebec’s 2022 law allowing legislators to take an oath only to the Quebec people.
Lawyer Lawrence David argues that legislators who do not swear allegiance to the King cannot legally sit or vote, while Quebec’s lawyers say there is no urgency for a ruling.
- Who
- Premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon asked Lieutenant-Governor Manon Jeannotte to stay away from the cabinet swearing-in.
- What
- Jeannotte will not attend the ceremony. She will still sign the ministers’ appointment letters.
- When
- The request was confirmed Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. The ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday.
- Where
- Quebec City. The related court hearing took place at the Quebec Superior Court.
- Why
- St-Pierre Plamondon says his party is committed to abolishing the monarchy’s role in Quebec. He described the lieutenant-governor’s office as an outdated symbol of British colonial history.
Quebec government
Lawrence David and the Public Interest Litigation Institute
Legality of the 2022 oath law
Quebec government
Quebec’s lawyers argue there is no urgency to rule before the legislature reconvenes; the law has been in place since 2022 and the legislature has continued to function.
Lawrence David and the Public Interest Litigation Institute
David and PILI argue the law is unconstitutional and that legislators who do not take the oath cannot legally sit, participate in parliamentary activities or vote.
Oath refusal and constitutional respect
Quebec government
The government maintains that Quebec’s law exempts its legislators from the oath requirement.
Lawrence David and the Public Interest Litigation Institute
David says the refusal threatens the National Assembly’s legitimacy and is about respect for the constitution, not monarchy versus republicanism.
Quebec passed Bill 4, abolishing the requirement for members of the National Assembly to swear allegiance to the King.
Quebec held an election.
Just under 100 MNAs were sworn in, and all renounced the oath to the King.
The Quebec Superior Court heard arguments challenging Bill 4, and St-Pierre Plamondon confirmed he had asked Jeannotte not to attend the cabinet ceremony.
Jeannotte is scheduled to watch the cabinet swearing-in on television; she will still sign the ministers’ appointment letters.
Judge Demers is expected to decide the court challenge; the National Assembly is expected to reconvene on Nov. 17, though Quebec’s lawyers said the date might be pushed to Nov. 24.
- Premier-designate
- Paul St-Pierre Plamondon
- Lieutenant-governor
- Manon Jeannotte
- Court
- Quebec Superior Court
- Challenged law
- Bill 4, passed in 2022
- Expected session date
- Nov. 17; Quebec’s lawyers said it might move to Nov. 24
4 sources
Quebec’s lieutenant-governor won’t attend new government’s swearing-in ceremony
The PQ bypassed the monarchy. It was met with a shrug in Quebec and Ottawa
Renouncing oath to the King threatens Quebec's National Assembly's legitimacy, lawyer argues
What people are saying
firmly committed to abolishing the monarchy in Quebec, both within our democratic institutions and in our civil society.
What matters to her is the continuity of government in accordance with the Constitution.
Politicians who do not take the oath are not legally entitled to sit in the National Assembly, to participate in parliamentary activities, to vote on bills
This court challenge is not about monarchy versus republicanism. It’s about respect for the constitution