Political System
Québec’s political system is based on three separate powers known as the legislative power, the executive power and the judicial power. A balance must be achieved between these three powers so that one does not have excessive control over the others. Such a balance guarantees the quality of democratic life. Québec’s political system is independent of any religious influence.
Québec is part of Canada which is a federation of ten provinces and three territories. This means that the authority to make laws is divided between the parliament of Canada and the provincial or territorial governments. The Québec legislature can make laws relative to the subject matters over which it has been assigned jurisdiction. Essentially, the Canadian Constitution provides the Parliament of Canada with control over certain matters of a general or national interest. The provincial governments have jurisdiction in matters of provincial or local significance. Some areas of responsibility are shared by both levels of government.
The citizens of Québec have the power and responsibility of choosing the people who will make decisions on their behalf. This is representative democracy. From a legal standpoint, the electoral system is based on a certain number of laws. The Election Act occupies a very important place in Québec’s electoral legislation. It determines the rules that apply during the holding of general elections or by-elections.
Read the sections on the Québec’s political system
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