Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s promise to break with the British monarchy is stirring up a mix of support and skepticism from his rivals on the provincial election campaign trail.
St-Pierre Plamondon said on Tuesday that a PQ government would not allocate any money for the lieutenant-governor and redistribute those sums to tackle homelessness.
The PQ leader said Quebecers pay up to $15 million per year to uphold the crown, including for the lieutenant-governor’s salary. The Coalition Avenir Québec has also proposed to modify the lieutenant-governor’s role.
“What I want is to cut out the waste involved in this and do away with the symbolism, which is one of domination by force,” St-Pierre Plamondon told journalists.
Each province has a lieutenant-governor, appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister, to represent the Crown in their jurisdiction. Their duties include swearing in deputies at the legislature and providing royal assent to provincial laws.
Quebec Liberal leader Charles Milliard told reporters on Wednesday that the issue wasn’t a priority for his party, urging St-Pierre Plamondon to “please focus on Quebec’s economy and the health of Quebecers, rather than worrying about the lieutenant-governor’s salary.”
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Coalition Avenir Québec leader Christine Fréchette said her party has also considered abolishing the position of lieutenant-governor. It previously tabled a proposed constitution for Quebec in the legislature that proposed to revise and rename the position.
“To us, it’s not an essential position,” Fréchette said.
However, the proposed constitution was not adopted before the legislature adjourned.
St-Pierre Plamondon said his party also plans to table legislation to abolish the monarchy in Quebec. He added that the legislature could pass a law to abolish the lieutenant-governor’s duties and “stop allocating funds to this money-wasting farce.”
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But he acknowledged that citizens could challenge these decisions in court.
The PQ leader has consistently expressed his opposition to the monarchy’s role in the province over the years.
Four years ago, he petitioned for the Quebec legislature to end the mandatory oath to the King for elected officials, describing it as “humiliating.” The legislature adopted a law to this effect after PQ deputies refused to pledge allegiance to the crown following the 2022 election.
Lawyer Lawrence David filed a motion at the Quebec Superior Court in August to have that law struck down and proceedings are ongoing.
Still, St-Pierre Plamondon insisted that “there’s no one in Quebec who thinks we should spend money to remind ourselves that we’ve historically been under England’s control.”
Élections Québec has said nearly a quarter of eligible voters cast their ballot in advance polls.
The PQ, the Coalition Avenir Québec, the Quebec Liberals, the Quebec Conservatives and Québec solidaire are all expecting to win seats when the polls close on Oct. 5.
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