At the time this article was
written Jean-Pierre Saintonge was Speaker of the Quebec National Assembly
In December 1991 the National
Assembly marked the coming into force of the Constitutional Act (1791), the
statute passed by the Parliament of Great Britain authorizing the then
Lieutenant Governor to create the first electoral constituencies in Quebec and
to announce by proclamation the first election so that a House of Assembly
might be summoned.
On May 26, 1992, the National
Assembly met in the presence of the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec and
distinguished guests, including over 100 former parliamentarians to commemorate
the first elections held in May 1792 and to highlight the meaning and importance
of that first democratic act in Quebec's history and the birth of its
institutions.
In order to vote in 1792, one had
to be over twenty-one years of age, be a British subject by birth,
naturalization or right of conquest, and not have been found guilty of treason.
There was indeed an electoral property qualification, but it was so small that
it is accurate to speak of universal suffrage for heads of households.
Theoretically, women could vote, but it was rare for them to exercise that
right. In addition, all voters could stand as candidates, with the exception of
Members of the Legislative Council and ministers of the church.
Returning officers set the date,
time and place of voting; usually there was only one poll per constituency,
which did little to make it easier for people to exercise their right to vote
in rural constituencies, given that roads were still practically non-existent.
Furthermore, the returning officer could end the voting if no votes had been
cast for one hour. Since voting was done in public, this meant that a candidate
who was ahead and knew the procedure could block access to the poll with the
help of a few burly good friends.
After the 1792 elections and in the
early 19th century, electoral practices deteriorated rapidly. The disturbances,
violence and strong-arm tactics, which were paid for by candidates in order to
facilitate voting by their supporters is a familiar story.
In 1849, a new elections act was
passed. It denied women the right to vote, set out rules for the nomination of
candidates and the election procedure, and prohibited the distribution of
alcohol, the presence of armed persons near the polls and the opening of
taverns during elections.
This act did not prevent all fraudulent
practices, violence and bribery. Candidates took to making speeches on
nomination day, which led to the famous heckling sessions, a new pretext for
mass meetings, violence and disturbances. In addition, some voters realized
that their votes were worth money, while others got roaring drunk and proceeded
to have themselves driven to vote—at every poll in the constituency!
In 1875, the Legislative Assembly
passed yet another elections act in order to put an end to the brutality and
fraud that had marked elections for more than a generation. The 1875 act did
not extend suffrage, since the government had refused to eliminate the property
qualification. It replaced electors' indicating the persons they wished to
represent them by naming, a show of hands and sometimes a recorded vote with a
nomination paper accompanied by a deposit whose purpose was to discourage
frivolous candidates. This act limited voting to a single day, which had to be
the same, in all parts of Quebec. From then on, elections would be by secret
ballot. Other provisions dealt specifically with fraudulent practices and
electoral expenses. Under these provisions, donations and loans, promises and
threats, as well as the distribution of food and drink, were clearly
prohibited. This act also required candidates to pay their expenses through an
agent and publish a detailed list of their electoral expenses.
At that time, Quebec had one of the
best election acts in the world; this act was then to evolve in two opposite
directions. On the one hand, suffrage would be extended, becoming universal
with the elimination of the property qualification in 1936 and the obtention of
the vote for women in 1940. On the other hand, the ceiling on electoral
expenses, the obligation to appoint an agent and the requirement to submit a
statement of electoral expenses would be eliminated, in 1903, 1932 and 1936
respectively.
Like the electoral system, Quebec's
parliamentary institutions themselves were changing, profoundly but slowly.
Initial reforms to them were achieved after lengthy debate. More than half a
century would elapse before the desires of patriot Members of the Legislative
Assembly and reformers became reality:
in 1847, the right to control
public expenditures, including the salaries of senior administrators;
in 1848, application of the
principle of ministerial responsibility: members of the government were to be
selected from among Members of Parliament and were to be responsible to their
peers for their actions.
These things are so naturally a
part of our present concept of democracy that it is difficult to imagine that a
genuine parliamentary system could operate otherwise.
Parliamentary reforms were made
over the years such as reforms to the electoral map, the appointment of
official agents, the limitation of electoral expenses and the production of a
public report.
The primary purpose of amendments
to parliamentary law was to make the parliamentary institutions more effective;
the consideration of budget votes in committee, introduced in 1965, is an
example. The Debates of that time included ideas that took several years to
implement, such as the sessional calendar, new methods of controlling delegated
legislation, and Crown corporations.
The reorganization of the
parliamentary committees also dates from he 1960s. The arrival in the
Legislative Assembly in 1970 of Members from two new parties accelerated reform
of the rules of procedure, which had to be adapted to a multi-party system.
Under certain circumstances, the right to speak was limited depending on one's
party, thus creating a distinction between Members from recognized parties and
other Members.
A Quebec woman ran for office for
the first time in a 1947 by-election. However, it was not until 1961 that a
woman, Claire Kirkland-Casgrain, was elected to the Legislative Assembly.
Today, the National Assembly includes 23 women Members, six of whom are Cabinet
Ministers. In 1963, young people 18 years of age obtained the right to vote,
which they exercised for the first time in 1966.
The Act respecting the National
Assembly, passed in 1982, gave the Assembly greater internal autonomy. This act
established the Assembly's independence by creating the Office of the National
Assembly, which carries out monitoring, regulatory and management functions with
regard to the Assembly's budget, administrative organization and Members'
allowances. The Office also prepares the Assembly's budget estimates.
The reforms just mentioned
established a better balance among our democratic institutions and modernized
the operation of the Assembly and its committees. Their goal was better control
of the executive branch, administration, finances and public expenditures.
Recent parliamentary reform has
focussed on committees, which are an essential means of exercising parliamentary
control. The National Assembly reduced the number of these committees and
abandoned the custom of having their structure reflect that of the departments.
In addition, on their own initiative, the committees consider draft
regulations, regulations, directions, the activities and management of public
bodies, financial commitments and any other matters of public interest.
"The confrontation of ideas
brings forth light!" Right here in Quebec, in Canada, and in all parts of
the world, we can cite examples that confirm how right this adage is. History
teaches us that verbal confrontation is preferable to armed conflict and is
still the most civilized means of making our ideals a reality. Citizens most
often succeed in making society evolve, in changing and improving it, with
words and ideas, not weapons.
We no longer live in an age when
Members of the House of Assembly had so few means of carrying out their duties
that most Members of the first Assembly refused to run for a second term of
office in 1796. The time has gone when people voted aloud, by a show of hands
and without ballots, or when the words of our representatives were not
reproduced in an official journal of the Assembly. In two centuries of history,
we have made giant strides. In various countries and on various occasions, our
democratic and parliamentary system is held up as unique and exemplary.
If a democracy is to function, it
needs citizens who have a sense of freedom and are concerned about the
permanence of their institutions. It needs citizens, who are committed:
citizens who value their duties, responsibilities and obligations to society as
much as that society values their rights and freedoms. It also needs
parliamentarians who are fully dedicated to the greater good and to the
well-being of the public, that is, all those it is their responsibility to
represent.
In order to better inform all
residents of Quebec, we have included for this summer, in the official program
of the year of the bicentennial of Quebec's parliamentary institutions, a major
exhibition on the first 100 years of parliamentary government in Quebec at the
Musée de la Civilisation. In the National Assembly building, two exhibitions
are devoted to providing a better understanding of the role and
responsibilities of Members of the National Assembly and the history of the
press gallery.
On the 31st floor of the
Marie-Guyart building, another exhibition provides a modern and dynamic
illustration of all the parliamentary buildings that have housed the Assembly
since its first sitting in December 1792. In front of the National Assembly
building, on weekends from June to September, the origins and evolution of our
parliamentary institutions are the subject of a sound and laser show that
combines megaprojection, fireworks and the use of lasers. This show is unique
in North America.
We also thought it a good idea to
invite our Canadian and foreign parliamentary colleagues to be part of our
reflection on democracy. As a result, the International Symposium on Democracy,
to be held in Quebec City in September, will bring together for the first time
official delegations from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the
Assemblée internationale des parlementaires de langue française, the two major
associations of which the National Assembly is a full member. American
legislators and legislative association with which Quebec has special relations
will also be invited as well as parliamentary colleagues from Europe, Africa,
Oceania, and Asia to form with us, the parliamentarians of the National
Assembly, a vast forum on the aspirations and constraints, and also the hopes
and convictions, of all those who watch over and contribute to extending the
democratic process. The Premier of Quebec has agreed to act as Chairman of this
Symposium.
The roster of speakers will be
composed of political figures, diplomats, constitutional experts, jurists,
economists, experts in political science, writers and journalists. Former
United Nations Secretary General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar will be the Honourary
Chairman of our Symposium.
We all hope to be honoured and
proud to share this democratic ideal for a long time to come. We hope to share
it among ourselves, of course, but also with all those who, like us, inhabit
this planet and with whom we must help maintain and extend this ideal.