Ottawa to defend new royal baby law from Quebec challenge

OTTAWA – The federal government says it will fight two Quebec professors who are challenging the constitutionality of Canada’s royal succession law.

The potential constitutional spat comes as Prince William’s wife, Kate, has given birth to a boy, now third in line to the British throne.

The new laws would have had more application had the new royal baby been a girl because they modernized the previous rule of succession that allowed younger boys to leapfrog over their older sisters.

Last month, two Quebec professors filed a constitutional challenge of the Canadian law in Quebec Superior Court because the provinces were not consulted.

Read more: Throne succession faces legal hurdles from Commonwealth and Quebec

Montreal lawyer Andre Binette, who represents the professors, says the Quebec government filed notice Monday that it will join the case.

A spokeswoman for Justice Minister Peter MacKay says Ottawa will fight the challenge as it winds its way through the Quebec courts because it believes the law is sound.