Quebec.

• Author: Labbe, Stephanie
• Position: Legislative Reports

National Assembly Proceedings

Extraordinary sitting

On February 27, 2017, the Assembly held an extraordinary sitting to permit the introduction of Bill 127, An Act to ensure the continuity of the provision of legal services within the Government and to allow continued negotiation and the renewal of the collective agreement of the employees who provide those legal services. After more than 21 hours of debate this Bill was passed the following day on division: Yeas 52, Nays 38, Abstentions 0.

Composition of the National Assembly

Upon his return to the National Assembly after a long convalescence, Pierre Moreau, Member for Chateauguay and then Minister for Finance, was named Minister responsible for Government Administration and Ongoing Program Review and Chair of the Conseil du tresor on January 16, 2017. Carlos J. Leitao, who had previously held this office, remains Minister of Finance.

On January 19, 2017, Franchise David, who had been sitting under the Quebec Solidaire banner since the general election of 4 September 2012, resigned as Member for Gouin.

On January 24, 2017, Claude Surprenant, Coalition Avenir Quebec Member for Groulx, was excluded from caucus and now sits as an independent Member.

On January 26, 2017, Laurent Lessard, Member for Lotbiniere-Frontenac and Minister of Transport, Sustainable Mobility and Transport Electrification, was also named Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to replace Pierre Paradis, Member for Brome-Missisquoi, who now sits as an independent Member after having been excluded from the caucus of the parliamentary group forming the Government.

Martine Ouellet, Member for Vachon, has also been sitting as an independent Member since February 5, 2017, at which time she announced that she would be running for the leadership of the Bloc Quebecois on the federal scene.

The composition of the Assembly now stands as follows: Quebec Liberal Party, 69 Members; Parti Quebecois, 29 Members; Coalition Avenir Quebec, 20 Members; and six independent Members, two of whom sit under the Quebec Solidaire banner. One seat remains vacant.

Bills passed

From January to March 2017, the Assembly passed five Government bills:

* Bill 63--An Act respecting inmate identity verification through fingerprinting

* Bill 102--An Act to amend the Environment Quality Act to modernize the environmental authorization scheme and to amend other legislative provisions, in particular to reform the governance of the Green Fund

* Bill 112--An Act to give effect mainly to fiscal measures announced in the Budget Speech delivered on 17 March 2016

* Bill 127--An Act to ensure the continuity of the provision of legal services...