Bill 1: A Quebec Written Constitution
The Greater Quebec Movement
On October 9, 2025, the Quebec government tabled Bill 1 in the National Assembly—An Act giving Quebec a written constitution. While the opposition parties have voiced objections to the bill itself, they all support the idea of a Quebec constitution.
The English-speaking community is now caught up in a process for which it may feel ill-prepared, and we hope to offer some ideas on how to proceed.
Please see the November 26 Montreal Gazette op-ed by GQM director Richard Walsh Smith, entitled “Done right, a Quebec constitution could be a bridge, not a barrier.”
Below that, please see a February 4, 2023 letter to TALQ President Eva Ludvig from Richard and fellow GQM director Giuliano D’Andrea—himself a former director of TALQ when it was known as the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN)—urging TALQ to host a Zoom event on the topic of a Quebec constitution.
Would we not be a little more prepared today if TALQ had held such an event at the time? We suggest that more events of this kind be organized in the future, as a Quebec constitution will continue to evolve, even with a change of government.
Please also see our Media tab for past commentary on a Quebec constitution.
The Greater Quebec Movement’s testimony before the Quebec National Assembly on Bill 1, a bill to give Quebec its own written constitution. Witnesses include Giuliano D’Andrea, Peter G. White, and Richard Walsh Smith.
Done right, a Quebec constitution could be a bridge, not a barrier
Montreal Gazette November 26th, 2025
GQM director Richard Walsh Smith argues that a carefully drafted Quebec constitution could unite, rather than divide, by clearly affirming shared principles and protecting minority rights. He emphasizes that an inclusive, participatory drafting process — involving all of Quebec’s communities — could turn the constitution into a bridge between groups. Done properly, it would provide stability, clarity, and reassurance to anglophones and others who worry about exclusion.
February 24th 2023 letter to TALQ President Eva Ludvig from current GQM directors Giuliano D’Andrea and Richard Walsh Smith about a Quebec constitution
The following February 4, 2023, letter to the then–Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN)—now known as Talking About Living in Quebec (TALQ)—President Eva Ludvig urges the QCGN to host a Zoom event on a potential Quebec constitution, with Benoît Pelletier and Julius Grey as guest speakers. The letter argues that engaging proactively—rather than reacting defensively—could ease anglophone–francophone tensions, counter negative stereotypes following Bill 96, and help the English-speaking community participate constructively in a growing constitutional conversation that may shape Quebec’s future.
GQM brief submitted to the National Assembly’s Commission des institutions regarding Bill 1, which seeks to establish a written constitution for Quebec.
Please click to view our brief, which critiques Bill 1 for sidelining English-speaking Quebecers, challenges the bill’s restrictive definition of “historic Anglos,” and warns that it risks deepening social division. It proposes allowing integrated French–English public schooling to strengthen social cohesion and urges the National Assembly to table the bill and undertake broader, meaningful consultations before adopting a Quebec constitution—a prospect the GQM has long supported in its public commentary.
Opening Remarks for the Testimony Before the National Assembly’s Commission on Institutions, Presented by the Greater Quebec Movement (GQM)
December 4, 2025
Mr. Chair, Members of the Commission, thank you for receiving us today. We are honoured to contribute, as engaged citizens, to this collective reflection on Bill 1, the proposal to adopt a written constitution for Quebec.
Once upon a time, there was an Anglo-Quebecer mountaineer named Don Gusto who decided to train on a via ferrata in the mountains of Charlevoix. While taking a selfie, he slipped and ended up hanging from his safety rope more than 100 metres above the ground. He could not descend, and he could not climb back up.
In his desperation, he looked to the sky and cried out, “Help, is anyone there?”
To his surprise, a strong wind began to blow, the clouds parted, and a fatherly voice replied,
“My son, I can save you if you believe in me.”
Don Gusto answered, “Yes, yes, I believe in you. Save me!”
The voice replied, “If you want to be saved, let go of the rope.”
“Let go of the rope?” Don Gusto looked down, he looked up, and then asked, “Is there anyone else up there?”
If Alexis de Tocqueville were here, he might well ask, Who is the Anglo-Quebecer? This Quebecer comes from a variety of cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and religions. It is a fractured community and yet, like Don Gusto, it is undeniably Quebecer.
To hear what is sometimes said in the media, one might think this community rejects Quebec and its identity. As spokespersons for our Movement, let us reassure you: this is false. Whether anglophile or francophile, federalist, autonomist, or even in some cases sovereigntist, at our core we are proudly Quebecers, eager to participate in the Quebec of today and of the future.
Like Don Gusto, we also identify with a shared past that belongs to us as well. As a Quebecer of Italian origin, I am constantly learning how many of our roots have contributed to Quebec’s identity. The Carignan-Salières Regiment (Carignano-Salieri), for instance, comes to mind.
We want to contribute, and it is unfortunate that there has been so little time for broader consultations with our population, which might have inspired other ideas and other conversations. We are here to listen, to learn, and to discuss—without feeling trapped like poor Don Gusto hanging from his rope.
There is a national minority wherever we find, within a given state, the coexistence of several nations—where “nation” refers to a historical community, more or less complete institutionally, occupying a defined territory or homeland, with its own language and culture.
In this sociological sense, the notion of “nation” is closely related to that of “people” or “culture.” Such a nation is not founded on bloodline or ancestry.
Thus, a country in which more than one nation lives is not a nation-state but a multinational state, and the smaller cultures form “national minorities.”
We therefore maintain that anglophone Quebecers constitute a national minority within the multinational state of Quebec, just as francophone Quebecers constitute a national minority within the multinational state of Canada.
In a multinational state, the constitution is, among other things, a contract between the minority or minorities and the majority. It defines the terms that have been negotiated and mutually agreed upon in order to build and pursue together the shared enterprise—indeed, the shared adventure—of their country. All parties must officially approve these terms.
We must also recall that Quebec’s National Assembly has never officially ratified the Constitution Act of 1982.
For a national minority to feel secure within a larger dominant culture, it requires five guarantees:
(1) Formal recognition of its existence as a legitimate national minority within society as a whole, and formal recognition of its legitimate right to its cultural perpetuation within the majority community.
(2) A clear and formal definition—accepted by both minority and majority—of the characteristics that distinguish the national minority from the majority, which the minority wishes to preserve and protect from assimilation or homogenization, and which the majority agrees to recognize and respect.
(3) The unquestionable right to self-govern in the areas that fundamentally define it.
(4) The unquestionable right to be represented within the institutions of the majority community.
(5) A veto right over any proposed constitutional amendments that might undermine the constitutional protections of its acquired rights as a national minority—or, in other words, the requirement that all parties must consent to contractual changes that affect their rights or status, a clause normally found in any form of contract.
In conclusion, we believe Quebec now has an opportunity to adopt a constitution that reflects its pluralistic reality, strengthens trust between communities, and articulates a unifying societal project. We sincerely thank the Commission for allowing us to share these perspectives, and we remain at your disposal to answer your questions.