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The federal government says it will defend its new royal succession law as the province of Quebec joins two Quebec professors who are mounting a constitutional challenge.

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“No constitutional amendment is required for Canada to give its assent to this U.K. legislation, and we are prepared to defend the Succession to the Throne Act, 2013 before Canadian courts,” Paloma Aguilar, spokeswoman for Justice Minister Peter MacKay, said Monday.

The legal posturing, a harbinger of a potential constitutional spat, erupted as Prince William’s wife, Kate, gave birth to a boy, now third in line to the British throne.

The revamped succession laws would have had more application had the new royal baby been a girl because they modernize the previous rule of succession that allowed younger boys to leapfrog over their older sisters. Parliament passed Canada’s law in March.

Canada joined 16 other Commonwealth countries, following a British request, to fast track royal succession laws.

Last month, two Quebec professors filed a constitutional challenge of the Canadian law in Quebec Superior Court because the provinces were not consulted.

Initially, the province of Quebec did not immediately align itself with the legal action.