Parliament and Government
The Parliament of Québec consists of the Lieutenant-Governor and
the National Assembly.
The respective functions of the legislative and executive
branches of Québec's political system can be summed up in the
statement “Parliament makes laws and the Government applies them”,
which, although basically true, nevertheless represents an
over-simplification. It is fairer to say that Parliament examines
proposed legislation submitted to it in the form of bills by the
Government. Almost all bills are conceived and drafted by the
Government, in other words the Premier and the Cabinet, before
being examined by Parliament and either passed or rejected.
Parliament also oversees the Government's application of laws and
supervises all government activities.
The Lieutenant-Governor represents the Sovereign and, like the
Sovereign, “reigns but does not govern.” The role of the
Lieutenant-Governor, who forms part of Parliament but does not
participate in debates, is to assent to Acts. The
Lieutenant-Governor is entitled, in theory, to refuse to assent to
an Act (known as “reserving an Act”) until the federal government
has ruled on it, but in practice has not exercised this right for a
long time. The Lieutenant-Governor is the Head of State, but acts
only on the advice of the Cabinet, whether called on to convene,
prorogue or dissolve Parliament.
The National Assembly
The National Assembly is composed of 125 Members, representing
the 125 electoral divisions. At the opening of each legislature,
the Members elect one of their number as Speaker, in Québec known
as the President of the Assembly. The President is traditionally
chosen from the ranks of the government party on a motion of the
Premier, after consultation with the Leader of the Opposition. With
the assistance of three Vice-Presidents, the President chairs the
sittings of the National Assembly and must remain neutral at all
times.
The role of the National Assembly is to pass legislation, in
other words to lay down compulsory standards in the areas
recognized as coming under provincial jurisdiction in the Canadian
constitution.
The Assembly also supervises the Executive branch of government
and the public administration. The best-known way in which this
control is exercised is the question period that forms part of each
sitting, although Members dispose of a number of other general or
specific methods of supervision.
The National Assembly meets for two sessions a year, from the
second Tuesday in March until June 23, at the latest, and from the
third Tuesday in October until December 21, at the latest. The
Assembly usually sits on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, except
during the periods of extended hours of meeting, from May 25 to
June 23 and from November 25 to December 21, when it may convene
five days a week.
A session of the Assembly may extend beyond a calendar year. A
session of the National Assembly begins with the Opening Speech by
the Premier and ends upon prorogation, which causes all bills
pending before the Assembly to lapse.
The Government
Although we tend to associate the Government with the notion of
“power”, in a legal sense the Government stems from, and is
controlled by, Parliament. The Premier, although formally
designated by the Lieutenant-Governor, is in fact chosen by the
electorate when it elects a majority of Members from the same
party. The Premier, in turn, selects the Members who will form the
Cabinet, and holds power for as long as he or she retains the
confidence of a majority of Members. Convention also requires each
minister to support the decisions made by the Cabinet, or resign,
in keeping with the principle of ministerial responsibility.
When a vote is called, parliamentary discipline applies within
the government party in respect of major government legislation;
the same party discipline also applies within the opposition
parties. This unwritten rule means that the outcome of most debates
can be predicted on the basis of the numbers of Members
present.
(Source : National Assembly of Québec Website)
For more information :
Top of page
