Premier François Legault’s proposed constitution marks a step toward “dismantling democracy” and should alarm minorities because it would erase historic protections, an anglophone rights group warns. Fundamental rights are the foundation of democracy, and are “integral to the identity of modern Quebec society,” thanks to the province’s groundbreaking Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, says TALQ, a coalition of anglophone groups.
Now, 50 years after the charter’s adoption, the Coalition Avenir Québec seeks, through Bill 1 — the Quebec Constitution Act, 2025 — to “explicitly weaken” human rights, TALQ argues in its brief, which will be made public on Tuesday. “Bill 1 dilutes the fundamental rights of all Quebecers,” the organization says. “For human rights to be effective, there must be a way to hold the state accountable.” Yet, “a core function of Bill 1 is to make it infinitely harder to challenge human-rights violations in court.”