Assemblee Nationale: Quebec.

• Position: Quebec. National Assembly

The first session of the 37th Legislature was prorogued on Friday, March 10, 2006. The Lieutenant-Governor's address and the delivery of the Opening Speech by the Premier for the second session took place on Tuesday, March 14, 2006. The twenty-five hour debate on this speech was interrupted by the Budget Speech, on Thursday, March 23, and concluded in time to allow for the adoption of one quarter of the estimates of expenditure before April 1, 2006. It should be noted that the full speeches are available on the Internet site of the National Assembly, under the heading "Travaux parlementaires".

At the second sitting of the new session, the Government House Leader moved a motion to return to the Order Paper nineteen of the twenty-six bills that had remained there at the end of the first session.

Changes in the Assembly

The Premier of Quebec, Jean Charest, carried out a minor Cabinet shuffle on February 27, 2006. The new Member for Outremont, Raymond Bachand, was given the duties of Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade. His predecessor, Claude Bechard, became Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks and Deputy Government House Leader, replacing the Member for Chomedey, Thomas Mulcair. Finally, Henri-Francois Gautrin was named Minister of Government Services, replacing the Member for Orford, Pierre Reid.

The Member for Taillon, Pauline Marois, who had been in politics for twenty years, resigned at the beginning of the sitting, on Monday, March 20, 2006. A few days earlier, the Member for Pointe-aux-Trembles, Nicole Loger, announced she would end her term of office on June 1, 2006.

On April 10, 2006, a by-election was held in the electoral division of Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques. Martin Lemay, representing the Parti Quebecois, was the candidate returned. The composition of the Assembly now stands as follows: Quebec Liberal Party, 73 Members; Parti Quebecois, 45 Members; Independent, six Members, five of whom are from the Action democratique du Quebec; and one vacant seat.

Interparliamentary Relations

The steering committee of the Network of Women Parliamentarians of the Assemblee parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) met in Toronto, Ontario, on January 18-19, 2006. The committee more particularly discussed the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Quebec parliamentarians also took part in other APF activities: the Meeting of the Committee on Cooperation and Development (Delemont, Jura, March, 14-16, 2006); the Meeting of the Committee on Education, Communications and Cultural Affairs (Antananarivo, Madagascar, March 21-22, 2006); the Meeting of the Conference of the Section Presidents of the America Region (Augusta, Maine, March 21-24, 2006) and the Meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (Ottawa, March 27-29, 2006).

In March 2006, Quebec delegates participated in the meetings of the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Conference of the Americas (PCOA) and of the Executive Committee of the Network (Puebla, Mexico).

As part of the delegation for Relations With the United States (DANREU), Quebec parliamentarians took part in three activities during winter 2006: the meeting of the...