NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF QUÉBEC ACTIVITY REPORT 2013 2014 Front cover: The National Assembly participates in a growing movement, urban agriculture. Photo: Philippe Renaud, National Assembly Collection NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF QUÉBEC ACTIVITY REPORT 2013 2014 This publication was prepared in collaboration with the senior management and the personnel of all the adminis- trative units of the National Assembly. Unless otherwise specified, the information in this activity report covers the National Assembly’s activities from 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014. SUPERVISION Jean Dumas COORDINATION AND EDITING Andréanne Gélinas REVISION Éliane de Nicolini COLLABORATION France Pelletier Marie-Josée Dufour TRANSLATION Sylvia Ford GRAPHIC DESIGN AND PAGE LAYOUT Manon Paré Maude Lalancette PHOTOGRAPHY Collection Assemblée nationale du Québec PHOTOGRAPHERS Clément Allard Christian Chevalier Édouard de Blaÿ François Laliberté François Nadeau Jessen Peixoto Renaud Philippe Roch Théroux Communications, Educational Programs and Visitor Services Directorate PRINTING Reprography and Printing Division of the National Assembly ISSN 1492-5753 ISBN 978-2-550-70550-5 Legal Deposit – Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, 2014 Legal Deposit – Library and Archives Canada, 2014 TABLE DES MATIÈRES A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT ....................................................................................................... 7 A WORD FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL.............................................................................. 9 HIGHLIGHTS ....................................................................................................................................................11 THE WORK OF MEMBERS THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ........................................................................................................... 17 Mission..................................................................................................................................................................17 The dissolution of the National Assembly ........................................................................................17 The composition of the Assembly ...........................................................................................................17 The distribution of seats .......................................................................................................................................................17 Member profiles ..........................................................................................................................................................................18 Parliamentary anniversaries ...............................................................................................................................................18 Changes in the composition of the Assembly ...................................................................................................19 Seating plan of the National Assembly as at 5 March 2014 ...................................................................22 PARLIAMENTARY WORK ............................................................................................................................................ 23 Rulings from the Chair ...........................................................................................................................................................23 Work performed at the National Assembly ............................................................................................................ 24 Overview of the work carried out at the National Assembly .................................................................24 Routine Proceedings ................................................................................................................................................................24 Orders of the Day .......................................................................................................................................................................27 Bills passed ......................................................................................................................................................................................28 Work performed in the standing committees .......................................................................................................28 Overview of the work carried out in committees ...........................................................................................29 Clause-by-clause consideration of bills.....................................................................................................................30 Public consultations ..................................................................................................................................................................30 Examination of the estimates of expenditure ....................................................................................................30 Standing committees ....................................................................................................................................................................31 Reports and discussion papers of the standing committees ................................................................40 Temporary chair ............................................................................................................................................................................42 Persons appointed by the National Assembly ....................................................................................................43 PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY ......................................................................................................................... 44 Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie ...................................................................................................44 Commonwealth Parliamentary Association ........................................................................................................45 Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas .................................................................................................46 American interparliamentary organizations ..........................................................................................................48 Bilateral relations with partner parliaments and with European institutions ..................................................................................................................................................49 Interparliamentary cooperation .......................................................................................................................................50 Meetings with the President of the National Assembly and his counterparts ......................51 Official visits ....................................................................................................................................................................................52 THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND THE CITIZENS Medal of Honour of the National Assembly ...........................................................................................................57 Public participation in parliamentary proceedings ........................................................................................57 Petitions ..............................................................................................................................................................................................57 Comments received .................................................................................................................................................................58 An Assembly that opens its doors to citizens .....................................................................................................58 Visitors at the National Assembly .................................................................................................................................58 Special activities ..........................................................................................................................................................................60 The Library of the National Assembly ........................................................................................................................61 A Library that opens its doors to citizens...............................................................................................................61 Support to parliamentarians and administrative units ................................................................................61 Publications......................................................................................................................................................................................61 Library collection .........................................................................................................................................................................62 Educational activities ...................................................................................................................................................................62 President’s Tour ............................................................................................................................................................................62 Parliamentary