Quebec pit bull ban and police uniform bills postponed

The provincial government will not pass two important bills which impact Montreal: the pit bull ban and the bill mandating proper uniforms for police officers will not come to a vote this June.

Debate around other bills introduced by the justice minister was heated this week, but on Thursday, the government offered an olive branch to the opposition. It says it will make three of minister Stephanie Vallee’s bills its top priorities for the end of this session.

That means the pit bull law and the ban on colourful pants worn by police officers will not be passed before the National Assembly goes on summer break.

“Certainly not,” government house leader Jean-Marc Fournier confirmed.

“This has been an almost do-nothing National Assembly led by the Liberals in the last year,” said Parti Quebecois leader Jean-François Lisée.

The government has its work cut out for it — and only a three-week deadline. The first priority is to make some adoption information, such as like family health history, available to adopted children. A version of this bill has been on the table for nine years.

“It is a real priority… because it really concerns human lives,” said PQ justice critic Veronique Hivon.

The second priority is to fix delays in the justice system. Opposition parties are pressuring the government to use the notwithstanding clause to ignore the Supreme Court’s Jordan ruling.

People accused of murder and sexual assault have walked free because their cases have taken too long to go to trial.

The third priority is a bill which recognizes foreign credentials. After the Quebec City mosque shooting, the Muslim community spoke out against discrimination in the workforce.

At the time, the premier said it was more important to address racism in Quebec then pass its religious neutrality bill. Many thought Bill 62 was dead, but this summer the justice minister will call committee members back to the National Assembly to continue work on the religious neutrality bill.