Starting a Petition
Did you know that a petition is a great way to let your voice be heard at the Assemblée nationale? Any Québec resident may present a petition through an MNA.
See the guide entitled Presenting a Petition at the Assemblée nationale du Québec (PDF, 4 MB).
Are there different types of petitions? If so, what are they?
There are two types of petitions:
- E-petitions, which must be started and signed on the Assemblée nationale's website.
- Paper petitions.
What are the conditions for a petition to be presented to the Assemblée nationale?
- It must be written in French or English;
- It must ask for action to be taken on a matter that falls within Québec's jurisdiction;
- It must be no longer than 250 words;
- It must not refer to any matter that is before a court of law, is the subject of an inquiry or could be prejudicial to the interests of any person or party;
- It must not use language that is forbidden or considered unparliamentary under Standing Order 35 of the Assemblée nationale's Standing Orders and Other Rules of Procedure.
The Assemblée nationale's Standing Orders 42, 43 and 62-64.12 set out the criteria petitions have to meet to be admissible.
Consult the Standing Orders and Other Rules of Procedure of the Assemblée nationale
How do I start a petition?
It only takes a few key steps!
Step 1: Choose the MNA who will present your petition
- All MNAs, except the President of the Assemblée nationale, may present a petition.
- Ministers usually refrain from presenting petitions, but you can contact the MNA for your riding or any other MNA.
Important! MNAs may refuse to present a petition, and they need not endorse the content of a petition to present it to the House.
The list of MNAs and their contact details
Step 2: Choose the type of petition
- E-petition
- Paper petition
Step 3: Write the text for your petition
- First, present the facts. Each fact should begin with "Whereas".
- Conclude with the request for redress: "We, the undersigned, ask the Gouvernement du Québec to...".
- You may suggest a title, but the final choice will be determined by the Assemblée nationale.
Step 4: Make sure your petition complies with the rules for presentation
Please make sure you have met the general conditions set out above and the specific conditions for the type of petition you have chosen:
E-petition:
- Make sure your request for redress is different from the requests in other petitions available for signing on the Assemblée's website.
- Your petition must be started and signed on the Assemblée nationale's website.
Paper petition:
- Your petition must be written on letter-sized (21.5 cm × 28 cm / 8.5 in × 11 in) or legal-sized (21.5 cm × 35.5 cm / 8.5 in × 14 in) paper.
- Your petition must contain the signatures of all the petitioners. The text of the petition must be repeated on each page of signatures.
Step 5: Get your petition approved by the Assemblée nationale
- If your petition is an e-petition, send the text of the petition to the MNA so that it can be approved before being posted online for signing.
- If your petition is a paper petition, send all the pages of signatures to the MNA once all the signatures have been collected.
Note: There is no time limit for collecting signatures for paper petitions. E-petitions are posted for signing on the Assemblée's website for a period ranging from one week to three months.
After I have started my petition, what happens?
- If your petition is admissible, it may be presented to the Assemblée nationale by an MNA.
- To learn more about what happens after your petition is presented to the Assemblée nationale, see the Following a Petition's Path page on the Assemblée nationale's website.
For further information, please contact the Assemblée.