The Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes works to ensure that Québec's institutional and constitutional interests are respected. To this end, the Secrétariat's team actively monitors federal parliamentary activity and government action with a particular eye to the distribution of legislative powers. In addition, the team provides advice to the Minister Responsible for Canadian Relations and the Canadian Francophonie and informs Québec departments and agencies of the impact that statements, motions, policies, and proposed regulations and legislation at the federal level could potentially have on their mandates. The Secrétariat's team of constitutional lawyers also supports the Attorney General of Québec in key constitutional law cases, particularly those concerning the distribution of legislative powers, and monitors case law and legal commentary in this area.
In conducting intergovernmental relations, the Secrétariat ensures that Québec's constitutional jurisdiction and institutions are respected. It plays a central role in proposals for constitutional reform and essentially maintains the Gouvernement du Québec's institutional memory on significant constitutional reforms in the past century.
The Secrétariat is responsible for preparing and updating the consolidation of the Constitution Act, 1867 and the Canada Act 1982. The consolidation contains references, where applicable, to the statutes of Québec, the resolutions passed by the National Assembly, and Québec government documents.
The notes to the consolidation also set out the governmental positions expressed by various constitutional players, including Québec, at the time of the various constitutional amendments made since 1867.
Codification administrative de la Loi constitutionnelle de 1867 et du Canada Act 1982 - 2e édition - Lois codifiées au 1er juin 2022 (PDF, 1,85 Mo)
Codification administrative de la Loi constitutionnelle de 1867 et du Canada Act 1982 - 1re édition - Lois codifiées au 1er janvier 2021 (PDF, 1,09 Mo)
