Quebec Government Introduces Draft Constitution to Preserve Province’s ‘Distinct’ Character

Quebec Premier François Legault stands for the inaugural speech at the legislature in Quebec City, on Sept. 30, 2025. The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot

Quebec’s government has tabled a draft constitution that Premier François Legault says will protect his province’s “distinct national character.”

Legault’s Canadian Relations Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette tabled the bill on Oct. 9.

Legault says the Quebec constitution will be “the law of all laws” and was designed to reinforce provincial autonomy.

The premier said in a Oct. 9 post on X that it was “self-evident” that the Québécois form a nation—“a resilient nation that has traversed the last centuries by defining its own history.”

He said that Quebec was proud of its culture, adding that “Quebec has chosen to remain in Canada, but it has also chosen to assert its distinct national character.”

Legault said the time had come to affirm “the constitutional existence of the Québécois nation.”

He called the bill “one of the strongest acts of national affirmation” in the province’s history. Legault said it is the culmination of all the measures his government has taken to strengthen Quebec values, which includes its secularism law.

The bill is the first new piece of legislation tabled since Legault prorogued the legislature in September. It defines a set of collective principles such as the equality of men and women as well as French as the only common language for the province.

The constitution would also enshrine access to abortion and euthanasia.

The bill also gives the premier the authority to recommend who should be appointed as lieutenant-governor. Currently the governor general appoints lieutenant-governors that have been recommended by the prime minister. It would also change the office of the lieutenant-governor to the “officer of Quebec.”

The premier would also recommend to the prime minister potential Quebec senators and Supreme Court judges under the new bill.

“We want to protect and strengthen Quebec, protect our language, our values, our identity, our rights, and strengthen our autonomy, our institutions, and our parliamentary sovereignty,” Legault said.

The Liberal Opposition said Legault’s government failed to consult with them on the bill. They added that a constitution should reflect all those in the province.

Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec party is currently lagging in the polls, with a provincial election scheduled for October 2026.

Public Prayer Ban

Just days earlier, Legault told the National Assembly he was willing to do whatever it took to protect the province from the threat of Islamists seeking to undermine Quebec’s values.

He said in a Sept. 30 speech that “radical Islamists” were trying to impose their own values on the Quebec people.

Legault added that his government would take “all possible means to counter the attacks against our common values.”

One of those means is legislation to uphold the province’s secularism. The Quebec government has recently said it will be introducing a bill to ban public prayer.

Secularism Minister Jean-François Roberge said in August that legislation will come this fall, calling public prayers a “serious and sensitive issue” for the province.

The decision came after rising tensions over Muslim prayers being performed during pro-Palestinian demonstrations, such as those in front of the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal.

In 2019, Quebec introduced Bill 21, which bans teachers, judges, and police officers from wearing religious symbols while working. The province invoked the notwithstanding clause to prevent constitutional challenges to the bill.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to Bill 21, and the federal government recently filed a factum with the court that outlines its position on “constitutional issues raised” by the repeated usage of the notwithstanding clause by the provinces.

Matthew Horwood and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.