Bill C-245 Non Application In Quebec
C-245 An Act to Amend the Canadian Multiculturalism Act (Non-Application in Quebec)
Bill Type: Private Member’s Bill
Bill Sponsor: Xavier Barsalou-Duval (Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères)
This Bill was defeated at second reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Status: Defeated — February 4, 2026.
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WHO GAINS POWER
- Quebec gains a formal federal exemption from the Canadian Multiculturalism Act — the province could define its own identity, cultural and integration policies without federal multiculturalism obligations
- The Bloc Québécois advances the legal argument that Quebec is a distinct nation within Canada with the right to opt out of federal cultural policy
- Quebec's existing laws — including the Charter of the French Language and the Act respecting the laicity of the State — would no longer need to be reconciled with federal multiculturalism policy
WHO LOSES POWER
- The federal government loses the ability to apply national multiculturalism policy uniformly across all provinces
- Minority communities in Quebec lose the federal multiculturalism framework as a backstop for their rights and recognition
- Parliament loses a precedent argument — if one province can opt out of a federal cultural Act, others can make the same case
WHO GAINS MONEY
- No direct financial beneficiaries named in the Bill
WHO LOSES MONEY
- No direct financial costs named in the Bill
- Federal multiculturalism programs and funding in Quebec could be affected — not addressed in the Bill
THE CATCH
- Five words do all the work: "This Act does not apply in Quebec." The entire Bill is one sentence.
- ⚠️ No transition provisions — what happens to existing federal multiculturalism programs, funding and obligations already operating in Quebec? The Bill is silent.
- ⚠️ No definition of what replaces it — the Bill removes federal policy but doesn't require Quebec to have any equivalent protection in place
- ⚠️ Precedent risk not addressed — if Quebec can opt out of the Multiculturalism Act, the Bill creates no firewall against other provinces making the same argument for other federal Acts
- ⚠️ Minority community protections — the Canadian Multiculturalism Act provides a framework for recognizing and supporting cultural communities. The Bill doesn't address what happens to those communities in Quebec after the exemption
- ⚠️ Private Member's Bill with no government backing — Quebec nationhood is a constitutional conversation. One sentence in a PMB is not how that conversation gets resolved.