In Quebec, the provincial legislature is adorably called the "National Assembly" — part of the eternal quest to identify as a nation, not as part of Canada. Over the years, when separatism wasn't threatening, it's been something folks have nodded and smiled indulgently at. When things got dicey, like in 1995, the National Assembly seemed more... well, national. But the province voted to stay in Canada by a whisker.
Since then, separatism has waned more than waxed. But lest you assume that separatists are right-wing because they oppose federalism, the recent provincial election ushered in some lefty characters as well — 11 Members of the National Assembly who belong to the Quebec Solidaire (QS) party.
These MNAs kicked off their legislative careers last week by refusing to swear an oath to King Charles III. There's a question as to whether they can sit in the assembly now, but we're guessing that either everyone will decide to look the other way — or use it to jump-start a new conversation about Canadians swearing an oath to the British Crown.
We have two reactions to this: First, that people would have seen a refusal to swear allegiance to Elizabeth II as tacky — beating up on a revered old lady. Now that Charles, who is much less appealing, has succeeded his mother, these QS MNAs saw their chance and took it. Still kinda tacky, actually.
Second, everybody knew the rules when they ran for office. So did these MNAs. So, until you're able to change the rules, you'd better follow them. We cats are not impressed, and we HISS.
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