In 1891, Quebec Lieutenant-Governor Auguste-Réal Angers dismissed Premier Honoré Mercier over the Baie des Chaleurs Railway bribery scandal.
asserted
Angers → dismiss → scandal
One-hundred and thirty-five years later, the province’s current Lieutenant-Governor, Manon Jeannotte, silently watched the newly elected government’s cabinet swearing-in on television from her office across the street, her aide-de-camp by her side.
asserted
Governor → watch → side
For the first time in Quebec’s, the Lieutenant-Governor was not attending the cabinet swearing in.
asserted
Governor → attend → swearing
The empty chair said more than any speech could.
uncertain
speech → say → more
From her desk, she signed each order of appointment as the ministers took their oaths.
asserted
ministers → sign → oaths
Her signature is still required while her presence is not.
asserted
presence → require → ?
Premier St-Pierre Plamondon had asked her a few days ago to stay away.
asserted
Plamondon → ask → her
She obliged.
asserted
She → oblige → ?
Tradition was shattered.
asserted
Tradition → shatter → ?
Slowly but surely, St-Pierre Plamondon is hollowing out the Crown without separation or changing a single law.
asserted
Plamondon → hollow → law
The Crown is fading away not by a referendum, but through lack of use.
asserted
Crown → fade → use
The Parti Québécois leader has been testing the limits of the institution since he was first elected in 2022.
asserted
he → test → 2022
Section 128 of the Constitution Act 1867 requires members of the National Assembly to swear allegiance to the monarch.
asserted
Section → require → monarch
St-Pierre Plamondon made a political showdown out of this protocol at his swearing-in back then.
asserted
Plamondon → make → swearing
He and his two fellow MNAs refused to swear an oath to King Charles III and were barred from taking their seats.
asserted
He → refuse → seats
But they held their ground.
asserted
they → hold → ground
Facing popular and political pressure, the CAQ government passed Bill 4 making the oath to the King optional.
asserted
oath → face → King
The three PQ MNAs could took their seats.
uncertain
MNAs → take → seats
Now, not only is PQ swearing allegiance solely to the people of Quebec, so is every other party, including the Liberals.
asserted
party → swear → Liberals
One Liberal MNA put it simply: they are federalists, not monarchists.
asserted
they → put → it
Eric Duhaime’s Conservatives are set to do the same.
asserted
Conservatives → set → same
Federalist or not, no party will go back to swearing allegiance to the King.
asserted
party → go → King
That ship has sailed.
asserted
ship → sail → ?
What’s remarkable is that this is no longer solely a PQ project.
asserted
this → ’ → ?
The party moved the line of what is acceptable, and every other party followed, legitimizing a practice that is constitutionally dubious but broadly embraced.
asserted
that → move → practice
Lawyer Lawrence David argues that Bill 4 is unconstitutional and that MNAs sitting in the National Assembly without swearing the oath are doing so unlawfully.
asserted
MNAs → argue → oath
Lawful or not, MNAs have been sworn in, the cabinet has been sworn in, and the new government can start to get to work.
asserted
government → swear → work
The Assembly is expected to sit at the end of November.
asserted
Assembly → expect → November
The new premier will be hard at work to build the winning conditions for a referendum.
asserted
premier → build → referendum
Lieutenant-Governor Jeannotte will also not be welcome at the opening of the legislative session, breaking another tradition.
asserted
Jeannotte → break → tradition
The premier has sought a legal opinion on redirecting her budget to the fight against homelessness, which could leave the Lieutenant-Governor herself officeless.
uncertain
which → seek → Governor
Some might say it is unfortunate that it happened to the first Indigenous Lieutenant-Governor.
uncertain
it → say → Governor
St-Pierre Plamondon is not defying her as a person.
asserted
Plamondon → defy → person
He is defying her because of what she represents: an institution he calls humiliating.
asserted
he → defy → institution
It’s about the chair she sits in.
asserted
she → ’ → chair
St-Pierre Plamondon says he will even challenge her in her last stronghold: royal assent, constitutionally required for legislation to become.
asserted
legislation → say → stronghold
Many say it remains out of his reach.
asserted
it → say → reach
But St-Pierre Plamondon has never given an inch to the institution, and he is unlikely to start now.
asserted
he → give → institution
In the final week of the campaign, he vowed to abolish the office, separation or not.
asserted
he → vow → office
In 1933, Irish President Éamon de Valera abolished the oath to the King.
asserted
Valera → abolish → King
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
