A new proposed Quebec legal framework for common-law couples who become parents after June 2025 will be entrusted with new rights and obligations, and benefit from some protections granted to married couples, a development viewed by family law experts as a step in the right direction. But Bill 56, aimed at providing a better safety net for children, falls short on several levels.
The Quebec Court of Appeal, handcuffed by the provincial government’s use of the notwithstanding clause, upheld a controversial secularism law that bans religious symbols from being worn by government employees, in a decision lauded by legal observers who endorse the so-called “parliamentary sovereignty clause” while bemoaned by others who deem it to be a “major retreat” from the fundamental principle of the rule of law.
An access to justice bill that will make free mediation mandatory and arbitration automatic for cases under $5,000 took the Quebec legal community by surprise as it also unexpectedly opens the door for notaries to be appointed to the bench of provincial courts.
Barely days after the controversial and sweeping new language law that overhauls the Charter of the French language was adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec, the groundwork for potential legal challenges was being laid in spite of the Quebec government’s use of the notwithstanding clause to shield it from judicial review.
The right to repair is gathering momentum, except it is stalling in Quebec.
Quebec’s proposed youth protection reform will be ineffectual and be unable to deal with systemic-wide issues unless more monies are poured into the system.
A GPS electronic tracking project, the latest initiative the Quebec government has launched to fight domestic violence, raises questions.
A controversial Quebec family law bill has been lauded for creating a legal framework for the use of surrogate mothers but has been slammed for scaling back trans rights and possibly opening the door to a divisive debate over the rights of a foetus.
A new Quebec corporate transparency law will compel all private corporations and partnerships to disclose the identity and some information of the beneficial owners.
Quebec introduced sweeping changes to its privacy regime, making it the most consumer-friendly privacy law in Canada by giving individuals much greater control over their privacy while compelling private and public sector organizations to implement onerous prescriptive obligations that will be challenging to fulfil within two years, according to privacy experts.
The Quebec government, concerned by an exodus of head offices, is relaxing rules to insurance provisions over duty to defend.