Bill 1, Québec Constitution Act
A Brief submitted by the
Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN)
The Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN) is gravely concerned that the Government of Quebec’s Bill 1, Québec Constitution Act, 2025, which proposes a constitutional framework that would redefine the structure, powers, and governing principles of Quebec, represents a clear and significant danger to the rights of minorities in Quebec, the Quebec population as a whole and indeed our democracy;
The proposed Bill, in its current form, concentrates political power in the hands of the executive (premier and cabinet), weakens institutional checks and balances, narrows the space for civil society, and sidelines minority and individual rights, thereby failing to meet even the basic standards expected of a modern constitutional order;
Quebecers deserve a constitutional process that unites citizens rather than divides them, and one that strengthens the province’s democratic foundations rather than undermines them;
As a institutional member of TALQ, QAHN supports fully their opposition to Bill One and the following general concerns.
- Bill 1 was developed without an appropriate level of consultation and dialogue. It is our contention that this fact alone renders the proposed constitution illegitimate. Any constitutional process must be inclusive and reflect broad societal consensus. It cannot be a simple reflection of the ruling government’s political priorities.
- Bill 1 proposes to concentrate power within the hands of the government and attempts to limit or eliminate the judiciary’s role in ensuring oversight and accountability in relation to provincial legislation that the government deems essential to protect the collective rights of what we understand to be a narrowly defined and uninclusive concept of the Quebec nation.
- Bill 1 undermines the full participation of civil society, including unions, school boards, arts, culture and community organizations, and NGOs. The proposed legislation is an attempt to silence these voices and the vital role they play in ensuring that democracy in Quebec does not “begin and end at the ballot box.”
- Bill 1 threatens to erase the progress Quebec has made to the protection of minority and individual rights, at least since the adoption of Quebec’s Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms in 1975, and certainly since the days of Premier Maurice Duplessis.
In the context of its mission, QAHN is particularly concerned that Bill 1 will seriously endanger the ability of English-speaking Quebecers to celebrate, promote and communicate their rich history and heritage within a full understanding and appreciation of their many and ongoing contributions to the cultural, political and economic development of this province. Bill 1 appears, in its present form, to be built upon a parochial and limited vision of what constitutes Quebec heritage, culture and society, and we find this extremely concerning.
As a society, no matter our linguistic or cultural heritage, we cannot allow long-standing constitutional principles, which include the rule of law, and the right to responsible and democratic governance, to be weakened by a regressive constitutional project that threatens the ability of all Quebecers to build a society that is inclusive, forward-thinking, and ready to address the global challenges of the 21st century.