Image of the National Assembly of Québec. Source: Assemblée nationale du Québec.
GCDC Member and PhD Student Marie-Hélène Lyonnais, together with Dr Lise Brun (Université Laval, Québec), submitted this week a comprehensive factum to the National Assembly of Québec urging the Government of Québec to withdraw Bill 1, the Québec Constitution Act, 2025. Their factum argues that Bill 1 is problematic both because of the process through which it was introduced and because of its substantive content. In essence, it contends that:
- Bill 1 introduces Québec’s constitutional project through a method that contravenes established international standards – including guidance from the Venice Commission on constitutional amendments – and the Constitution that would result from Bill 1 would lack democratic legitimacy.
- Bill 1 undermines constitutionalism (both legal and political) and is regressive with respect to fundamental rights. It introduces an undesirable hierarchy between collective and individual rights, and its proclaimed commitment to gender equality is largely superficial.
The factum, drafted in French, can be downloaded below.
VIew the factum below.
DownloadMore GCDC news
John Sorabji gives evidence to Justice Select Committee on litigation funding
Dr John Sorabji, Associate Professor at UCL Laws, has appeared before the Justice Select Committee to provide expert evidence on how litigation funding promotes access to justice.
05 Mar 2026
Morales Cerda Presents on ECtHR and IACtHR Reproductive Rights Jurisprudence
Dr Natalia Morales Cerda presents at the University of Oxford on developments in the reproductive rights jurisprudence of the European and Inter-American Courts of Human Rights.
05 Mar 2026
PLSS: Illiberal Christian Democracy as a Constitutional Program
Professor Renata Uitz presents on ‘Illiberal Christian Democracy as a Constitutional Program’.
04 Mar 2026