Political and legal systems

Québec is a democratic society with a political system based on freedom, equality and citizen participation in political parties and associations. The system of government in Québec is a representative democracy in the sense that the citizens govern through representatives that they elect.

Democratic organization of Québec

The Québec political system has three levels:

• The federal (or Canadian) government
• The provincial government
• Municipal councils

In addition to these three government levels, school administration is elected in Québec. School boards are administered by elected commissioners. They collect school taxes and set policies for managing schools in compliance with the directives from the Ministère de l'Education, du Loisir et du Sport.

Federal government

Québec is part of the Canadian federation, which includes nine other provinces and three Northern territories. The Canadian Parliament is composed mainly of the House of Commons and the Senate. Federal Members of Parliament sit in the House of Commons. They are elected by universal suffrage for a five-year mandate. Québec is represented by 75 MPs. Members of the Senate are named by the Prime Minister of Canada on the recommendation of the provinces. Twenty-three senators come from Québec.

These institutions legislate on matters of common interest to members of the federation (national defence, border control, currency, etc.), with the exception of fields of exclusive provincial jurisdiction.

In immigration matters, the Canadian Constitution recognizes the sharing of powers between the federal government and the provinces. Québec immigration is governed by both Canadian and Québec laws.

Provincial government

Québec has its own government that administers the laws passed by the National Assembly. The National Assembly has 125 members who represent and defend the interests of the population in the ridings where they were elected. It legislates in fields under its jurisdiction, specifically education, health, justice, natural resources and municipal affairs.

Established in 1791, the Québec Parliament is one of the oldest in the world, with the exception of Great Britain.

The National Assembly of Québec is renewed during general elections, which traditionally take place every four years. The political party that elects the most members forms the government. The leader of this party becomes Premier, or head of the government.

Municipal councils

Municipalities also have the power to adopt by-laws in their fields of jurisdiction such as land use planning. Led by an elected mayor, municipal councils are also governments chosen by the public at elections by universal suffrage.

Administration of justice

Judicial power is independent of the legislative and executive powers. Legal jurisdiction is shared between the federal government and Canadian provinces which are both responsible for the administration of justice.

The Québec legal system is two-tiered, with courts of first instance and the appeal court. They are responsible for enforcing the Civil Code of Québec, based on the Napoleonic code, and the Canadian Criminal Code, which is based on the British model.

Civil Code of Québec

Québec is the only Canadian province that has a civil code which originated from French law. The present Civil Code was thoroughly revised and has been in effect since January 1, 1994. The Civil Code of Québec governs individuals, relationships between individuals, and assets.

Useful links

• Government portal - Politics
• Civil Code of Québec
• Ministère de la Justice