▁in ▁Canada ", ▁which ▁he ▁described ▁as ▁" colon ial ". ▁ ▁Before ▁launch ing ▁their ▁challenge , ▁the ▁pla int iffs ▁consult ed ▁with ▁" like - mind ed ▁law y ers , ▁academ ics ▁and ▁mon archy ▁exper ts ▁from ▁across ▁Canada ". ▁On ▁ 1 4 ▁June ▁ 2 0 1 3 , ▁Anton ia ▁Ma ioni , ▁an ▁associate ▁professor ▁from ▁McG ill ▁University , ▁noted ▁that ▁she ▁found ▁it ▁ir onic ▁that ▁Quebec ▁so ver eign ists ▁were ▁bas ing ▁their ▁attempts ▁to ▁" sh ore ▁up ▁Quebec ' s ▁v eto " ▁over ▁constitution al ▁change ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁argument ▁that ▁Elizabeth ▁II ▁is ▁also ▁the ▁" Que en ▁of ▁Quebec ". ▁it ▁was ▁reported ▁in ▁July ▁ 2 0 1 3 ▁that ▁the ▁Quebec ▁Crown - in - C oun cil ▁had ▁joined ▁as ▁an ▁inter v ener ▁in ▁support ▁of ▁the ▁challenge , ▁also ▁supported ▁by ▁the ▁Canadian ▁Royal ▁Heritage ▁Trust . ▁ ▁The ▁federal ▁justice ▁minister ▁had ▁the ▁option ▁of ▁referring ▁the ▁question ▁directly ▁to ▁the ▁Supreme ▁Court ▁of ▁Canada ▁for ▁a ▁final ▁r uling , ▁though ▁a ▁sp ok esp erson ▁for ▁the ▁minister ▁stated ▁that ▁this ▁possibility ▁would ▁not ▁be ▁purs ued . ▁A ▁pre lim inary ▁hearing ▁took ▁place ▁on ▁ 1 5 ▁August ▁ 2 0 1 3 . ▁The ▁hearing ▁in ▁Quebec ▁City , ▁before ▁Justice ▁Claude ▁B ouch ard ▁of ▁the ▁Quebec ▁Super ior ▁Court , ▁began ▁on ▁ 1 ▁June ▁ 2 0 1 5 . ▁The