Assemblee nationale: Quebec.

• Author: Ford, Sylvia
• Position: Legislative Reports - Conference notes

The parliamentary proceedings of the first session of the 39th legislature, which were adjourned on January 15, 2009 after three days of extraordinary sittings, resumed for the spring sessional period on March 10, 2009, with the Opening Speech of the Session delivered by Premier Jean Charest.

Spring marks the beginning of the budgetary process at the National Assembly and, last 19 March, the Minister of Finance launched this process with the Budget Speech. The debate on the Budget Speech ensued, to be suspended in the Assembly and continued in the Committee on Public Finance. On Tuesday, March 24, 2009, the Assembly carried a motion by the Government House Leader for the Assembly to give consideration to Interim Supply for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010. This budgetary stage concluded with the passage of Appropriation Act No. 1, 2009-2010, and the referral to the standing committees of the estimates of expenditure for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. On April 7, 2009, the Assembly resumed the debate on the Budget Speech and, at the conclusion of this debate, carried the motion by the Minister of Finance proposing that the Assembly approves in general the budgetary policy of the Government.

Parliamentary simulations

From February 11-13, 2009, the Quebec National Assembly welcomed more than 100 students from Secondary 3 and 4 to the 7th Young People's Parliament. This parliamentary simulation provided an opportunity to participants from 29 public and private schools from 11 regions throughout Quebec to get together to examine three bills that they had drafted during this 7th legislature and which concerned the following issues: the accountability of young people as regards cybersecurity in Quebec schools; the obligation for Quebec high schools to implement a first-aid training programme for students and staff members; and the implementation of methods to foster student exchanges among Francophone pupils of Quebec and Anglophone pupils from other Canadian provinces.

Other Matters

On March 6, 2009, Mario Dumont announced his resignation as Member for the electoral division of Riviere-du-Loup and as Leader of the Action democratique du Quebec. A Member from 1994 to 2009, Mr. Dumont held the office of Leader of the Official Opposition from April 2007 to November 2008.

On April 8, 2009 Monique Jerome-Forget resigned as Member for the electoral division of Marguerite-Bourgeoys. She represented this riding at the National Assembly from 1998 to...