Marois proposes scrapping Lieutenant Governor, saving tens of dollars

Pauline Marois was on the campaign trail yesterday and proposed scrapping Quebec's "colonial" Lieutenant Governor and replace him with a President in a sovereign Quebec, a move which she estimated would save the taxpayer tens of dollars annually. According to the PQ, the cost savings would mostly come from reduced ink use when printing the stationery for the office, as the title "President" is shorter than "Lieutenant Governor".

"We have seen in countries that have replaced the useless and ineffective British monarchy with a useless and ineffective president of a republic, the cost savings have in most cases achieved double digits," said Marois.

"By holding a series of consultative commissions, followed by a sovereignty referendum campaign and vote, a series of negotiation rounds with Canada, citizens' assemblies to draft a new constitution, an election for a symbolic president and the construction of a presidential palace with bodyguards, the Parti Quebecois will save Quebec taxpayers from having to pay the hundreds of thousands of dollars they currently waste on the British monarchy."