On Wednesday, Solidere Quebec will propose to the Legault government to adopt a transitional law to get out of the state of emergency that has engulfed Quebec since the beginning of the pandemic.
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“This transitional law, its goal is simple, and that is to define health measures in a reasonable way; in other words, to withdraw the absolutist mandate that the government has had for more than a year and replace it with a legal framework that grants reasonable powers and provides a reasonable framework for these powers,” explains training spokesperson, Gabriel Nadeau Dubois. In an interview with our Parliamentary Office,
Thus, Quebec could give itself the authority, for a specified period, to continue enforcing the wearing of masks, supervising private gatherings, applying health measures to businesses and maintaining “COVID rewards”.
On the other hand, other exceptional powers – such as the possibility of bypassing tender calls and suspending collective agreements for government employees – could be halted if they are no longer necessary.
The parliamentary leader’s proposal is inspired by the “principle” of a similar bill in France, but not by its “critical” content.
According to Quebec Solidere Count, Legault’s government will be in the 63rd renovation under the State of Health Emergency Decree, during today’s Cabinet.
This temporary measure aims to respond quickly in the context of the crisis. For example, at the start of the pandemic, Quebec was able to bypass the usual bidding processes to urgently obtain necessary personal protective equipment for health care workers.
long-term measures
But opposition parties in Quebec have been skeptical, for several weeks, about extending this state of emergency, now that the number of COVID-19 infections is down.
Legault’s government recently voted in favor of a motion proposing to end these extraordinary powers once the vaccination campaign is over and the pandemic is brought under control.
Gabriel Nadeau Dubois notes, however, that some health measures will remain in place for months, or even years, according to some experts.
“It is not impossible in the coming months, in the next two to three years, that there will be a resurgence of cases, new variables: Are we going to bring Quebec back to a state of emergency every time?” It asks for a “new legal framework”.
