Posted at 10:38 amupdated at 11:06
The leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ), Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, proposed on Thursday a series of measures to rebalance powers in the hands of the prime minister. (Photo: The Canadian Press)
Quebec – If he becomes prime minister, the leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ) would allow his backbenchers more freedom of speech.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon on Thursday proposed a series of measures to rebalance powers in the Prime Minister’s hands.
In particular, he wants to strengthen scrutiny and cross-checking by creating the office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer and doubling the budget and resources of the Auditor General.
The PQ also wants to give government MPs who are not ministers “real freedom of expression” on the issues in their constituency.
“There will always be some kind of party line, but there we can no longer name the problems in our driving. If we don’t identify the problems, how do you think they should be solved?” said Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon at a press conference outside the Quebec National Assembly.
The sovereignist formation also pledges to make the General Directorate of Public Health fully independent of the Council of Ministers and the Prime Minister.
The party also proposes that there should be a question time for citizens at least once per parliamentary session and a question time for the prime minister only every week.
The PQ is also targeting the reform of the law on access to documents from public bodies and the protection of personal data.
This story was written for the News by Frédéric Lacroix-Couture with financial support from the Bourses de Meta and The Canadian Press.
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