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Puisqu'aucun de ces textes n'est conforme à cet article, ils sont, et ont toujours été, nuls et inopérants en droit. On doit toutefois tenir compte du fait que, depuis 1986, une nouvelle ville existe et opère sur la foi de présumées lettres patentes établissant sa constitution.
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The National Assembly of Quebec has attempted to divide the legislative process into a number of discrete steps, and then to claim that each of these individual steps, considered in isolation, lacks a legislative character. The requirements of s. 133 cannot be circumvented by the disingenuous division of the legislative process in this manner. If the net effect of a series of discrete acts has a legislative character, then each of these component acts will also be imbued with this same character. Here, all of the instruments challenged were part of a process which, when viewed in its entirety, was undoubtedly legislative. Accordingly, all of them were subject to the requirements of s. 133. Since none of the instruments complied with that section, they are, and always have been, nullities and of no legal force and effect. One cannot ignore, however, that, de facto, a new city has been in existence since 1986, operating on the faith of purported letters patent establishing its constitution. This is an appropriate case for this Court to exercise its suspensive power by declaring that the instruments in this appeal, while invalid for non‑compliance with s. 133, shall continue in force for a period of time in order to permit the National Assembly to take whatever steps it sees fit to remedy the constitutional defects. This period of time shall be for one year from the date of this judgment.
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