Parti Québécois MNAs sworn in as party prepares to form minority government

Fifty-nine Parti Québécois members were sworn in at the National Assembly on Wednesday, another step toward the party officially forming its new minority government.

A room full of PQ supporters chanted “Quebec, a country” as the new and returning members lined up to take their oaths. PQ Leader and premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon had tears in his eyes as the MNAs each pledged loyalty to the people of Quebec and swore to uphold the province’s laws.

The ceremony marked the first time a governing party did not swear an oath to the monarchy, St-Pierre Plamondon said.

“We will work for Quebec and only for Quebec,” he said in his speech.

Members of the legislature have not been required to swear an oath to the King since the National Assembly changed its rules in 2022, after St-Pierre Plamondon refused to pledge allegiance to Canada’s reigning monarch.

He noted Wednesday that some MNAs had previously taken the oath with their fingers crossed behind their backs or mumbled through it.

“Behind closed doors, everyone was criticizing and calling out the odious nature of the process,” he said.

The PQ won 59 of the legislature’s 125 seats in the Oct. 5 election with 28 per cent of the popular vote, falling short of the 64 seats needed for a majority.

The party has requested recounts in two ridings where its candidates finished second, which could move it closer to the majority threshold.

St-Pierre Plamondon used his speech to thank candidates and supporters for their work and sacrifices, while reminding the newly elected MNAs of the responsibility that comes with holding office.

He also highlighted the party’s dramatic growth since the 2022 election, when only three PQ members were sworn in. The party later picked up four additional seats in byelections before winning enough seats this month to form a minority government.

Most of the PQ officials sworn in Wednesday have no previous experience at the National Assembly.

St-Pierre Plamondon said former premier Pauline Marois and Jean Royer, a former chief of staff to former premier Jacques Parizeau, would help train the new MNAs.

The caucus also includes several political veterans. Joël Arseneau and Pascal Bérubé were re-elected, while Nicolas Marceau, who won Marie-Victorin, previously served as finance minister under Marois. Alain Therrien is also returning to the legislature after serving as an MP for the Bloc Québécois.

St-Pierre Plamondon said his government would work to deliver on its promises, including cutting government spending, tackling the cost of living, improving the education system and protecting Quebec culture, despite governing without a majority.

“We’re going to reach out to the opposition because Quebecers want their legislature to work,” he said.

“We will be masters in our own home.”

St-Pierre Plamondon has also promised to hold a referendum on Quebec sovereignty after 2029, when U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the White House, though he did not address that pledge during Wednesday’s ceremony.

He, however, ended his remarks with the words, “Vive le Québec libre.”

Liberal, Conservative and Québec solidaire representatives are scheduled to be sworn in next week. Liberal Leader Charles Milliard said in a radio interview Tuesday that he has “no intention” of swearing an oath to the King.

St-Pierre Plamondon is scheduled to unveil his cabinet and officially form the government on Oct. 21.