"History will judge the CAQ, PQ and Québec Solidaire for not protecting the rights of Quebecers"

On Sunday, Quebec Liberal Party interim leader Marc Tanguay made a statement about the Legault government’s move to renew the notwithstanding clause in order to support Bill 21, preventing challenges to the so-called secularism law in court. Tanguay made it clear that the Quebec Liberals will vote against Bill 52, the notwithstanding-clause renewal bill tabled by the CAQ last week, and went a step further by calling the move “an attack on all our fundamental rights” and “contempt for our law-based society.”

“In a free and democratic society, it is simply unacceptable to use the notwithstanding clause in such a way as to prevent any recourse to justice, for all the rights and freedoms of Quebecers.”

Tanguay went on to call out not only the Legault government but the other parties in the National Assembly who will, he says, back Bill 52.

“It appears that the CAQ will have the support of the Parti Québécois and Québec Solidaire. History will judge them. Quebecers want to live in a society where our rights are not only respected, but also protected by our institutions. The behaviour of these three political parties — the CAQ, PQ and QS — is further proof that the fight to defend our fundamental rights requires constant vigilance.”

Cette semaine, le gouvernement caquiste de François Legault a déposé le projet de loi 52 visant à reconduire la clause dérogatoire en lien avec la Loi sur la laïcité de l'État (loi 21). Au Parti libéral du Québec, nous refusons catégoriquement de laisser passer cette atteinte à… pic.twitter.com/dMyJdA81JP
— Marc Tanguay (@marc_tanguay) February 11, 2024

“History will judge the CAQ, PQ and Quebec Solidaire for not protecting the rights of Quebecers”

An Angus Reid Institute poll last year found that most Montrealers don’t support Bill 21, the law (passed in 2019) that prevents people in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols. The ARI also found that a majority of Canadians in every province (except Quebec) don’t support the use of the notwithstanding clause, which was applied to the passing of both Bill 21 and Bill 96 by the Legault government.

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