Legal Challenge Seeks to Force Oath to King Charles as Quebec Markets Rally on PQ Minority
A constitutional lawyer has filed an emergency injunction in Quebec Superior Court to compel incoming Parti Québécois legislators to swear allegiance to King Charles, while financial markets reacted positively to the party falling short of a majority government.
Constitutional lawyer Lawrence David and the Public Interest Litigation Institute have filed an emergency injunction in Quebec Superior Court seeking to force members of the incoming Parti Québécois (PQ) government to swear allegiance to King Charles. The legal filing asks the court to immediately suspend a 2022 provincial law that made the oath to the monarch optional for members of the National Assembly.
The request for the injunction is scheduled to be presented in a Montreal courtroom on Friday morning. The filing argues that legislators who refuse the oath are unqualified to sit, and that laws passed by an illegally assembled body would be void, potentially creating an unprecedented legal crisis. Constitutional experts have warned that debates surrounding the monarchy could lead to a broader constitutional crisis. The National Assembly is expected to reconvene on Nov. 17.
The legal challenge follows Monday’s provincial election, in which the PQ won 59 seats, finishing five seats short of a majority. Premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has pledged to cut funding to the office of Quebec's lieutenant-governor within his first 100 days in power. He also stated that a government led by him would not hold a sovereignty vote until after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office.
Financial markets responded favorably to the minority result, with investor confidence in Quebec's bonds increasing due to the PQ falling short of a majority. Following the election, Quebec 30-year bonds tightened to about 7.5 basis points above the Ontario benchmark. Prior to the vote, those same bonds were trading at around 11 basis points above the Ontario benchmark. The tighter bond spread indicates investors are demanding a smaller risk premium to hold the debt, viewing a fragile minority government as less likely to pursue a sovereignty referendum.