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The three Parti Québécois (PQ) members who have steadfastly refused to swear the oath of office to King Charles III were barred from sitting in the province’s legislature Thursday.
The three-member PQ caucus attempted to sit in the Salon bleu at the national assembly in the morning, but were turned away.
To sit in the legislature, elected Quebec MNAs must take two oaths of loyalty: one to the Quebec people and another — as required by the Canadian Constitution — to the King.
In November, outgoing Speaker Francois Paradis ruled that all elected members must take the oath to the King or risk expulsion from the legislature. PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has called on newly appointed Speaker Nathalie Roy to reconsider her predecessor’s decision.
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Since winning their seats in the Oct. 3 election, the trio has been taking a stand against what it describes as the “humiliating” oath to the King.
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After a minute long conversation with the National Assembly’s Sergeant-at-Arms, the three PQ MNAs are barred from entering the assembly room because they’ve refused to swear an oath to the King of England. pic.twitter.com/FPPUOOyAId
— Dan Spector (@danspector) December 1, 2022
Meanwhile, the 122 other members of the legislature have all taken the oath.
On Tuesday, St-Pierre Plamondon told reporters he and his two colleagues would try to enter the province’s national assembly later in the week.
— with files from Global News’ Dan Spector and The Canadian Press
