Striking Quebec lawyers, notaries to make province counter-offer

Government lawyers and notaries said they'll make a counter-offer to Treasury Board President Pierre Moreau's fifth and final offer which Moreau gave their union, LANEQ,until 5 p.m. Friday to accept or reject.

"We refuse to submit to an ultimatum," saidunion presidentJean Denis, in a statement issued at 5 p.m. Friday.

"We hope the government will seriously examine our counter-proposal."

The 1,100 lawyers and notaries have been on strike since Octoberand have been without a collective agreement since March 2015.

The Treasury Board offer included, among other things, a proposal to pay those on strike on par with Crown prosecutors.

• Strike of Quebec lawyers, notaries leaves provincial lawmakers in the lurch

Union accuses government of disrespect

When the offer was received, LANEQsaid in a statement that it wasfrustrated by the way the government made the proposal.

The union accusedMoreau of trying to limit the negotiation period to 24 hours after an 18-week-long strike.

The union also accusedMoreau of "disrespect"towards the negotiation process for announcing the offer during a news conference.

Moreau has not officially ruled out legislating the lawyers and notaries back to work.

The union says there was a strategy behind the timing of the strike:it leaves lawmakers paralyzed at a time when dozens of measures are waiting to be pushed ahead, such as the provincial rules on dangerous dogs, promised since the summer.