In
1968, Bill 90 was passed by the government
of Premier Jean-Jacques Bertrand, abolishing
the Legislative Council and renaming the
Legislative Assembly the "National
Assembly". Before 1968, there had
been various unsuccessful attempts at
abolishing the Legislative Council, which
was analogous to the Senate of Canada.
In 1978, television cameras were brought
in for the first time to televise parliamentary
debates. The colour of the walls was changed
to suit the needs of television and the
salon vert (green hall) became the salon
bleu (blue hall). Built in Quebec City
between 1877 and 1886, the present Hôtel
du Parlement (Parliament Building) was
designed by architect Eugène-Étienne
Taché. It is a unique construction
in North America, with a Second Empire
style of architecture. Its façade
features a pantheon representing important
events and people in the history of Quebec.
General
elections are held at least every five
years. Any person holding a Canadian citizenship
and who has resided in Quebec for at least
six months qualifies to have his or her
name entered on the electoral list. Quebec's
territory is divided into 125 electoral
districts (ridings). In each electoral
division, the candidate who receives the
most votes is elected and becomes a Member
of the National Assembly (MNA). This is
known as the first-past-the-post voting
system. Normally, the leader of the political
party with the largest number of elected
candidates is asked by the Lieutenant-Governor
of Quebec to form the government as Premier,
or Prime Minister. (In French, both titles
are rendered as Premier Ministre.).
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