National Assembly of Quebec

The National Assembly of Quebec (Template:Langx, {{#invoke:IPA|main}})<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} </ref> is the legislative body of the province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; Template:Langx). The lieutenant governor of Quebec (representing the King of Canada)<ref>Template:Cite canlaw</ref> and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Québec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other Westminster-style parliamentary systems. The assembly has 125 members elected via first past the post from single-member districts.

The National Assembly was formerly the lower house of Quebec's legislature and was then called the Legislative Assembly of Quebec. In 1968, the upper house, the Legislative Council, was abolished and the remaining house was renamed. The office of President of the National Assembly is equivalent to speaker in other legislatures. As of the 2022 Quebec general election, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) has the most seats in the Assembly.

History

File:Assemblée législative du Québec 1933-04-05.jpg

Quebec Legislative Assembly in 1933

The Constitutional Act 1791 created the Parliament of Lower Canada. It consisted of two chambers, the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly. That parliament and both chambers were abolished in 1841 when the Act of Union 1840 merged Upper Canada and Lower Canada into a single province named the Province of Canada. The Act of Union created a new Parliament of the Province of Canada, also composed of a Legislative Council and a Legislative Assembly. That Parliament had jurisdiction over the entire province, with members from Lower Canada and Upper Canada in both houses.

The Constitution Act, 1867 (formerly known as the British North America Act), created the Dominion of Canada, and also created the provinces of Ontario and Quebec by splitting the old Province of Canada into two, based on the old boundaries of Lower Canada and Upper Canada. The act created a new bicameral Legislature for the province of Quebec, composed of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly of Quebec.

In December 1955, the assembly passed a bill according the title "Member of Provincial Parliament" ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) and the initialism "MPP" ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) to members of the legislature.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Previously, there had been no fixed designation, but they had often been referred to as "Members of the Legislative Assembly" (MLAs) ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), which Premier Maurice Duplessis noted in his speech on the bill, "can sometimes be pronounced as '{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}', which means 'evil' in French."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1961, Marie-Claire Kirkland became the first woman elected to the Legislative Assembly.

In 1968, Bill 90 was passed by the government of Premier Jean-Jacques Bertrand, abolishing the Legislative Council and renaming the Legislative Assembly the "National Assembly", in line with the more strident nationalism of the Quiet Revolution. Before 1968, there had been various unsuccessful attempts at abolishing the Legislative Council, which was analogous to the Senate of Canada. With the adoption of the new name, members of the assembly were now designated Members of the National Assembly (MNA) in English. In French, they are referred to as either {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} with the initialism M.A.N.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> or as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref>https://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/deputes/rapport-liste-depute.html</ref>

In 1978, television cameras were brought in for the first time to televise parliamentary debates. The colour of the walls was changed to suit the needs of television, and the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (green hall) became the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (blue hall).

In 1984, Canadian Forces corporal Denis Lortie stormed into the Parliament Building and opened fire, killing three government employees and wounding thirteen others. His intended target was Premier René Lévesque and his Parti Québécois government. However, he was around 15 minutes early and the Assembly floor was still mostly empty; no politicians were shot. He surrendered to police hours later.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Parliament Building

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File:QuebecParlementTourny.jpg

lang}} east of the Parliament Building

Constructed between 1877 and 1886, the Parliament Building features the Second Empire architectural style<ref>Useful Information – National Assembly of Quebec. Assnat.qc.ca (October 29, 2012). Retrieved July 12, 2013.</ref> that was popular for prestigious buildings both in Europe (especially France where the style originated) and the United States during the latter 19th century.

Although somewhat more sober in appearance and lacking a towering central belfry, Quebec City's Parliament Building bears a definite likeness to the Philadelphia City Hall, another Second Empire edifice in North America which was built during the same period. Even though the building's symmetrical layout with a frontal clock tower in the middle is typical of legislative institutions of British heritage, the architectural style is believed to be unique among parliament buildings found in other Canadian provincial capitals.Template:Citation needed Its façade presents a pantheon representing significant events and people of the history of Quebec.

In 1936, Maurice Duplessis hung a crucifix in the Legislative Assembly chamber. It hung there for 83 years, until it was removed on 10 July 2019.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Additional buildings were added, adjacent to the Parliament Buildings:

• Édifice André-Laurendeau was added from 1935 to 1937 to house the Ministry of Transport.
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} was added from 1922 to 1925 to house the Ministries of the Treasury (Finance), the Attorney General and the Secretary General of the National Assembly.
• Édifice Jean-Antoine-Panet was added from 1931 to 1932 for the Ministry of Agriculture.
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} added from 1910 to 1915 for the Library of the National Assembly, various other government offices and for the Executive Council.

Elections

General elections are held every four years or less. Since 2014, the legislature has had a fixed four-year term, with elections taking place no later than "the first Monday of October of the fourth calendar year following the year that includes the last day of the previous Legislature."<ref name="Election Act">Template:Cite canlaw</ref> However, the lieutenant governor, acting on the advice of the premier, can dissolve the legislature and call an election earlier. Any Canadian citizen at least 18 years old who has been residing in Quebec for at least six months qualifies to be on the electoral list.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Normally, the lieutenant governor invites the leader of the political party with the largest number of elected candidates to form the government as premier ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in French; French does not make a distinction between premier and prime minister).

Quebec's territory is divided into 125 electoral districts (ridings). In each riding, the candidate who receives the most votes is elected and becomes a member of the National Assembly (MNA). This is the first-past-the-post voting system. It tends to produce strong disparities in the number of seats won compared to the popular vote, perhaps best exemplified by the 1966 (wrong-winner result), 1970 (false-majority result), 1973, and 1998 election (wrong-winner and false-majority result).

Quebec elections have also tended to be volatile since the 1970s, producing a large turnover in seats. Consequently, existing political parties often lose more than half their seats with the rise of new or opposition political parties. For instance, the 1970 and 1973 elections saw the demise of the Union Nationale and rise of the Parti Québécois, which took power in 1976. The 1985 and 1994 elections saw the Liberals gain and lose power in landslide elections. The 2018 elections saw the rise of the Coalition Avenir Québec, which took power for the first time.

Members

Current standings

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Cabinet ministers are in bold, party leaders are in italic and the president of the National Assembly is marked with a †.

	Name	Party	Riding	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Abitibi-Est	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Abitibi-Ouest	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Acadie	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Anjou–Louis-Riel	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Argenteuil	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Arthabaska	Independent	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Beauce-Nord	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Beauce-Sud	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Beauharnois	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Bellechasse	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Berthier	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Bertrand	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Blainville	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Bonaventure	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Borduas	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Bourassa-Sauvé	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Brome-Missisquoi	Template:Sortname	PQ	Camille-Laurin	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Chambly	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Champlain	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Chapleau	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Charlesbourg	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Charlevoix–Côte-de-Beaupré	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Châteauguay	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Chauveau	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Chicoutimi	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Chomedey	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Chutes-de-la-Chaudière	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Côte-du-Sud	Template:Sortname	Liberal	D'Arcy-McGee	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Deux-Montagnes	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Drummond–Bois-Francs	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Dubuc	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Duplessis	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Fabre	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Gaspé	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Gatineau	Template:Sortname	QS	Gouin	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Granby	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Groulx	Template:Sortname	QS	Hochelaga-Maisonneuve	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Hull	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Huntingdon	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Iberville	Template:Sortname	PQ	Îles-de-la-Madeleine	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Jacques-Cartier	Template:Sortname	QS	Jean-Lesage	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Jeanne-Mance–Viger	Template:Sortname	PQ	Jean-Talon	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Johnson	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Joliette	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Jonquière	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Labelle	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Lac-Saint-Jean	Template:Sortname	Liberal	LaFontaine	Template:Sortname	CAQ	La Peltrie	Template:Sortname	Liberal	La Pinière	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Laporte	Template:Sortname	CAQ	La Prairie	Template:Sortname	CAQ	L'Assomption	Template:Sortname	QS	Laurier-Dorion	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Laval-des-Rapides	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Laviolette–Saint-Maurice	Independent	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Les Plaines	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Lévis	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Lotbinière-Frontenac	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Louis-Hébert	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Marguerite-Bourgeoys	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Marie-Victorin	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Marquette	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Maskinongé	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Masson	Template:Sortname	PQ	Matane-Matapédia	Template:Sortname	QS	Maurice-Richard	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Mégantic	Template:Sortname	QS	Mercier	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Mille-Îles	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Mirabel	Template:Sortname †	CAQ	Montarville	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Montmorency	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Mont-Royal–Outremont	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Nelligan	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Nicolet-Bécancour	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Notre-Dame-de-Grâce	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Orford	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Papineau	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Pointe-aux-Trembles	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Pontiac	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Portneuf	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Prévost	Template:Sortname	CAQ	René-Lévesque	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Repentigny	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Richelieu	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Richmond	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Rimouski	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Rivière-du-Loup–Témiscouata	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Robert-Baldwin	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Roberval	Template:Sortname	QS	Rosemont	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Rousseau	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Rouyn-Noranda–Témiscamingue	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Saint-François	Template:Sortname (until Dec. 1, 2022)	Liberal	Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne	Template:Sortname (since Mar. 13, 2023)	QS	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Saint-Hyacinthe	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Saint-Jean	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Saint-Jérôme	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Saint-Laurent	Template:Sortname	QS	Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Sainte-Rose	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Sanguinet	Template:Sortname	QS	Sherbrooke	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Soulanges	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Taillon	Template:Sortname	QS	Taschereau	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Terrebonne	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Trois-Rivières	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Ungava	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Vachon	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Vanier-Les Rivières	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Vaudreuil	Independent	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Verchères	Template:Sortname	QS	Verdun	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Viau	Template:Sortname	CAQ	Vimont	Template:Sortname	Liberal	Westmount–Saint-Louis

Most recent election

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Changes during the 43rd Quebec Legislature

{{#section:43rd Quebec Legislature|standings}}

Proceedings

One of the members of the National Assembly is elected as President of the Assembly (a post called speaker in most other Westminster System assemblies). Any member of the assembly is eligible to stand for election, other than party leaders and Cabinet ministers. The election is the first order of business for a newly elected assembly. It is conducted by secret ballot of all members, with successive rounds of voting if needed before one candidate gains a majority of the votes.<ref>La procédure parliamentaire du Québec, 3^e édition (Québec: Assemblée nationale du Québec, 2012), pp. 140-147.</ref>

The president of the assembly is the arbiter of the parliamentary debates between the members of the government and the members of the Opposition. In order for a member to address the assembly, the member speak through the president. The president is usually a member of the governing party.

The proceedings of the National Assembly are broadcast across Quebec on the cable television network Canal de l'Assemblée nationale.

See also

• Executive Council of Quebec
• List of Quebec general elections
• List of Quebec premiers
• List of Quebec leaders of the Opposition
• Politics of Quebec
• Timeline of Quebec history

References

Bibliography

• Assemblé nationale du Québec (2000). What is the National Assembly?, Québec: Assemblée nationale, 58 p. (Template:ISBN)
• Deschênes, Gaston (1983). The Assemblée nationale: Its Organization and Parliamentary Procedure, Québec: Assemblée nationale, 53 p. (Template:ISBN) [1st ed. in 1977]

External links

• National Assembly of Quebec website
• National Assembly historical data Template:In lang
• Diagram of the positions in the Assembly Template:In lang
• Data about the current president of the Assembly