activity report of the National Assembly of Québec 2011 2012 national assembly oF Québec Parliament building Québec (Québec) G1a 1a3 assnat.qc.ca [email protected] 1 866 DéPUTÉS assnat.qc.ca Front cover: The bell tower rises above the coats of arms sculpted in high relief on the facade of the Parliament Building. Photo: Christian Chevalier, National Assembly Collection activity report of the National Assembly of Québec 2011 2012 assnat.qc.ca This publication was prepared in collaboration with the senior management and the personnel of all the administrative units of the National Assembly. Unless otherwise specified, the information in this activity report covers the National Assembly’s activities from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012. Supervision Jean Dumas Coordination and Editing Laurie Comtois Drafting Committee Louisette Cameron Catherine Durepos Mario Gagnon Lucie Laliberté Suzanne Langevin Revision Éliane de Nicolini Translation Sylvia Ford Indexing Rénald Buteau Graphic Design Manon Paré Page Layout Catherine Houle Photography National Assembly Collection Clément Allard, photographer Christian Chevalier, photographer Marc-André Grenier, photographer Renaud Philippe, photographer Roch Théroux, photographer With the participation of: French National Assembly (p. 65) Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (p. 54) Debates Broadcasting and Publishing Directorate (p. 43, 44, 47) Education in Parliamentary Democracy Directorate (p. 84, 89) Guy Rainville, photographer (p. 52) Maynor Solís Calderón, photographer (p. 59) Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (p. 53) Parliament of Canada (p. 65) Senate of the French Republic (p. 65) Finishing and Inside Printing Reprography and Printing Division of the National Assembly ISSN 1492-5753 ISBN 978-2-550-64875-8 Legal Deposit – 2012 Library and Archives Canada TABLE OF CONTENTS A Word from the President A Word from the Secretary General Highlights THE WORK OF MEMBERS The National Assembly........................................................................................................................................... 15 Mission ...................................................................................................................................................... 15 The Three Powers of the Québec State ................................................................................................. 15 The Roles of Members: Legislators, Controllers and Intermediaries.................................................. 15 Members of the 39th Legislature as at 31 March 2012 ...................................................................... 22 Seating Plan of the National Assembly as at 31 March 2012 ........................................................... 24 Parliamentary Work ................................................................................................................................................. 25 Schedule of Sittings ................................................................................................................................. 25 Work Performed at the National Assembly ............................................................................................ 26 Standing Committees ............................................................................................................................. 34 Persons Appointed by the National Assembly ....................................................................................... 52 Parliamentary Diplomacy ..................................................................................................................................... 53 Multilateral Relations ............................................................................................................................... 53 Bilateral Relations and Relations with European Institutions ............................................................. 62 Interparliamentary Cooperation ............................................................................................................. 64 Official Visits ............................................................................................................................................ 66 THE ASSEMBLY AND THE CITIZENS Special Activities .................................................................................................................................................... 71 Medals of Honour of the National Assembly ........................................................................................ 71 The 125th Anniversary of the Parliament Building ................................................................................ 72 Symposium on Democracy, Parliamentarians and the Media ............................................................. 75 A National Assembly that Opens its Doors to Citizens ................................................................................ 76 Activities for the General Public ............................................................................................................. 76 A Forum for Exchanges ........................................................................................................................... 79 Educational and Research Activities ................................................................................................................. 81 Library of the National Assembly ........................................................................................................... 81 Introduction and Education on Democracy ........................................................................................... 84 Information and Multimedia ............................................................................................................................... 92 Broadcasting and Webcasting ................................................................................................................ 92 New Features on the National Assembly Website ................................................................................ 94 Heritage ................................................................................................................................................................... 96 Documentary Heritage ............................................................................................................................. 96 Architectural and Urban Heritage ........................................................................................................ 97 ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITIES Administrative Organization .............................................................................................................................. 101 Changes in the Administrative Structure ........................................................................... 101 Administrative Structure as at 31 March 2012 ................................................................. 102 Personnel ...................................................................................................................... 101 National Assembly Expenditures for 2011-2012................................................................. 106 The National Assembly, A Stimulating Work Environment ..................................................................... 105 Health ..................................................................................................................................................... 105 Entraide Campaign................................................................................................................................ 107 The National Assembly and Sustainable Development ......................................................................... 108 Appendices ............................................................................................................................................................. 111 Index .................................................................................................................................................................131 A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT I am very pleased to submit to you the Activity Report 2011-2012 of the National Assembly of Québec. This document reflects the efforts undertaken to maintain and strengthen representative democracy in Québec, for the benefit of the overall population of Québec. Within these pages you will find a summary of the work carried out by Members in the Assembly and in committee, a description of the institutional activities that took place at the National Assembly, and a brief look at the various achievements at the administrative level. Furthermore, this report takes a closer look at a very special year, marked by the 125th anniversary of the Parliament Building and the 140th anniversary of the Press Gallery of the Parliament of Québec. In this regard, several activities were organized to underline these special events. Among the more notable of these were the Symposium on Democracy, Parliamentarians and the Media, which brought together close to 400 participants from a variety of backgrounds. This unique meeting enabled renowned figures from Québec, Canada and abroad to participate in the conferences and workshops held during this activity. The National Assembly also hosted the 11th General Assembly of the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas (COPA), which brought together some 220 delegates hailing from 36 parliaments of the Americas. At the conclusion