Quebec Liberals say provincial constitution will reaffirm Anglophones’ rights

Described as a way to “strengthen Quebec’s status within Canada,” the Quebec Constitution, an idea that has split the province since 1968, is once again being pushed, this time by the Quebec Liberal Party’s (QLP) National Policy Committee.

Djeneba Dosso

On Monday, the QLP’s idea box, the National Policy Committee proposed that the province adopt a written Quebec Constitution. One that, according to Julie White and Antoine Dionne Charest, both members of the party’s policy commission, will “unify” Quebecers while addressing “their daily concerns.”

“Regardless of their [values], orientations or language, this is a project to affirm Quebec within Canada,” co-chair Dionne Charest told the Pontiac Journal. “We want it to be a project that unites Quebecers, all Quebecers.”

The ongoing debate regarding the need for a written provincial constitution is nothing new. Ideas of a Quebec Constitution have been floating around since the 1960s. It was the event in April 1982, when Quebec refused to sign the Canadian Constitution, that sparked different views among political leaders. Since then, some have pushed for the province to become independent, while others have supported stronger connections with Canada. In 2017, the province attempted to open a dialogue to review the Canadian Constitution, but to no avail.

The QLP says its renewed interest in the proposal of a constitution comes as a response to policies of the governing Coalition Avenir Québec and of the Parti Québécois, who plan to “separate us from Canada.” Today, they hope to take matters into their own hands by offering Quebecers “a constitution that allows us to affirm who we truly are, with our language, our civil law, and the powers of the Quebec government,” they said in a proposal video released Monday. With the adoption of a written constitution, the party is proposing to affirm the rights of the English-speaking community, particularly in health and education, but also those of immigrants by putting in place provisions on immigration that would clarify Quebec’s policy on integration.

For Dionne Charest, son of former Quebec Liberal premier Jean Charest, this initiative should’ve come much sooner as a “protection of the rights of the Anglophone community.”

“I would go so far as to say that, if Quebec had had a written Quebec Constitution that enshrined the rights of the Anglophone community to services and education in English, the government would not question the autonomy of English school boards as it has, or the right to services in English across the province.”

Regardless of what actions the party deems should have been taken then, they can only move forward. Their next step will come in November.

“The first thing to do as a political party is to agree on the idea of a constitution,” Charet said. “We’ve just proposed to our members and Liberal activists to open a discussion on the draft of the constitution, and we’ve launched a campaign to promote the proposed constitution. [This] will take us through November 2024, where QLP members will be able to vote on the project.”

Quebec isn’t the only province looking to create its own constitution. British Columbia has already paved the way, standing as the only province utilizing its right to a written provincial body of laws. Other provinces, such as Alberta with its Bill of Rights and now Quebec, are still in limbo.

“I think there’s a desire for a new form of federalism that respects provincial autonomy,” said Dionne Charest. “You know, the relationship between the provinces doesn’t just go through Ottawa. The provinces have relationships with each other. Canada’s cohesion depends first and foremost on the provinces. They are the ones who provide the basic services to citizens, the day-to-day management of this country. It’s not the federal government that does it; it’s the provinces and the provinces only.”

If adopted, the Quebec Liberal Party’s policy commission says the written constitution would protect the rights of Anglophone and immigrant residents in Pontiac and across other French-majority towns in Quebec. What’s more, Dionne Charest believes that if Quebec makes the move and does it well, the initiative could inspire other provinces to seek their autonomy through written constitutions.