More than 300 organizations call for the withdrawal of Quebec’s Bill 1

Montreal, December 4, 2025 – A broad coalition of Quebec civil society organizations, including the Ligue des droits et libertés (LDL), the Réseau québécois de l’action communautaire autonome (RQ-ACA), the Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement (CQDE), the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), the Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI), the Conseil central du Montréal métropolitain CSN (CCMM-CSN), and the Conseil régional FTQ Montréal métropolitain (CRMM-FTQ), denounces Bill 1 – the Quebec Constitution Act, 2025. According to these groups, this bill poses a threat to democracy, the rule of law, and Quebec’s system for protecting rights and freedoms.

Gathered at a press conference as consultations begin before the Committee on Institutions, they speak for more than 300 organizations* that have endorsed a joint statement calling for the complete withdrawal of the bill:

“Bill 1, the Quebec Constitutional Act, 2025, is a deliberate attack on democracy and human rights. The process is unilateral and rushed, and does not meet any of the democratic criteria for drafting a legitimate constitution. Furthermore, it perpetuates a colonial mindset by denying Indigenous people’s right to self-determination. Instead of addressing the issues that actually concern citizens (health, education, housing, the environment, gender equality, the cost of living, etc.), the government is attacking rights and freedoms, checks and balances, and the rule of law. Consequently, the undersigned groups demand the complete withdrawal of Bill 1.“

This coalition denounces the process surrounding the preparation and tabling of this bill, as well as the numerous setbacks that Bill 1 entails in terms of rights and freedoms. Given the legal importance of a constitution, it should have been drafted through an open process, allowing for the full participation of civil society and the entire population. However, in the case of Bill 1, the government chose to act in isolation, without prior public consultation and without taking into account the criteria established in international law, which recommend broad, participatory processes that respect the rights of all. The groups also denounce the fact that this bill was prepared without the participation of indigenous peoples, denying their right to self-determination and overriding the principle of nation-to-nation dialogue.

The coalition calls on the public, social movements, and all groups in society concerned with democracy, the rule of law, and human rights to mobilize and demand that the government withdraw Bill No. 1.

The list of organizations is available here.

“To be legitimate, a constitution must be the result of prior consultations with the entire population, including indigenous peoples and marginalized groups. This type of text must seek to guarantee the fundamental rights of the people and prevent any attempts to introduce an authoritarian regime. Bill 1 fails on all counts.”

Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, Director of the Fundamental Freedoms Program, Canadian Civil Liberties Association