[EM] Quebec Considers U.S.-Style Political Reforms

[DEMOREP1 at aol.com]

Quebec Considers U.S.-Style Political Reforms 

QUEBEC (AP) - Quebec is considering major democratic reforms to give the 
province a U.S.-inspired republican system unseen in Canadian history, the 
government announced Thursday. 

Possible measures include an independently elected head of government and 
fixed dates for elections, Premier Bernard Landry and Intergovernmental 
Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Charbonneau said in a statement. 

Charbonneau told a news conference there's no reason to wait for Quebec 
independence to make such changes because they're permitted under the 
Constitution. 

``We don't need to wait for the great night of sovereignty to think about 
fundamental reforms,'' he said. 

Other possible changes proposed include scrapping the province's 125 ridings 
in favor of proportional representation, and separating powers between a 
non-elected cabinet and an elected legislature. 

A critic for the Quebec Liberals dismissed the proposals as too sweeping when 
Quebec is facing a provincial election by next fall. 

But Charbonneau said the suggested changes would create a more effective 
democracy and restore Quebecers' confidence in the political system. 

AP-NY-03-21-02 2056EST