Within Canada
Québec is one of the ten provinces of the Canadian federation. It was one of the four founding provinces of Canada in 1867.
In the federal Parliament, Québec is represented by 75 out of 308 ridings in the House of Commons and 24 out of 105 seats in the Canadian Senate.
Québec’s international actions
The Canadian Constitution contains no provisions assigning legislative jurisdiction for foreign affairs to a specific level of government. For this reason, over the years, Québec has taken responsibility for the international extension of its own areas of jurisdiction, an approach defined by Paul Gérin-Lajoie in 1965:
“When the Québec government is the only government having jurisdiction for the implementation of a commitment, it is only natural for it to be the government that makes the commitment and signs the foreign agreement.”
As a result, starting with a small number of offices abroad, Québec has built up a representational network over the last few decades in places where it considers it necessary to pursue its interests. The network is separate from that of the Government of Canada, but in certain matters the two networks work together.
The Québec government has a seat on the governing bodies of La Francophonie, closely monitors the work of international organizations in matters relating to its jurisdiction and interests, and sees to the implementation within its borders of several international agreements.
As stated in Québec’s International Policy, the Québec government intends to continue and strengthen its international actions.
For more information…
Administrative Institutions
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