Bloc Québécois to table bill to repeal Clarity Act

OTTAWA — The Bloc Québécois is proposing to strike down legislation that it considers “antidemocratic” because it would make it more difficult to separate from Canada.

On Tuesday morning, Bloc MP Christine Normandin will be tabling “An Act to repeal the Clarity Act” in the House of Commons. The bill comes after criticism from Quebec politicians about the possible use of the legislation in the wake of Alberta separatism.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week that the Clarity Act would not apply to the referendum question posed to Albertans this fall because it does not propose secession.

But Carney said that, should the federal government have to apply the law in the event of a referendum on separation, it would not recognize a 50 per cent plus one result.

The Clarity Act requires that the government only enter negotiations for a province to secede from Canada if a clear majority of voters opted for a clear question.

Quebec has adopted its own legislation in response to the Clarity Act to stipulate that Quebecers alone would decide how to choose the province’s political regime.

It also says that a majority of 50 per cent plus one would suffice for victory in a referendum.

But the Bloc’s attempt to repeal the Clarity Act is bound to be doomed from the start, as Liberals are expected to use their slim majority to quash the initiative.

National Post calevesque@postmedia.com

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