French-English Relations in the 1980s & 1990s• Referendum, 1980:

– 1980 Quebec held its first referendum on the issue of “sovereignty-association” with rest of Canada• Referendum: Political issue submitted to a direct vote by all citizens

– Proposal being voted on included:• Quebec would be an independent state, would be in control of its own

taxes, of its own social policies, of its own citizenship and immigrations• Would keep close economic ties with Canada

– So, no = yes to Canada; yes = no to Canada• Results: of the 90% of the Quebec population who

could cast their vote did, of which 60% voted “No” to the proposal

– Trudeau promised that he would have a new constitutional arrangement for Quebec if the proposal was defeated • 1982 - Patriating of the Constitution occurred

French-English Relations in the 1980s & 1990s II

• Constitution Act, 1982:– As you know, Canada’s original constitution – the BNA Act, 1867 – was

an act of British Parliament• PM Trudeau wanted Canada’s Constitution to belong to Canada, aka, he

wanted it to be “repatriated”– November 1981, 10 Premiers met to draft the new constitution

• Final night, everyone – with the exception of Quebec’s Rene Levesque – were summoned to view final revisions, and agreed to sign the Act

– Levesque & Quebec felt betrayed and would not sign.

French-English Relations in the 1980s & 1990s III

• Meech Lake Accord, 1987:– PM Mulroney and 10 premiers (including Premier Bourassa

from Quebec) met at Meech Lake to change the constitution to include Quebec• This was Mulroney’s attempt to create constitutional harmony

from coast to coast to coast– All ten premiers were able to reach a tentative agreement

• Next step: all provinces & Ottawa must consent to the agreement– Not going to be easy…

Meech Lake Accord II

• Number of Concerns:– Quebec was referred to as a “distinct society”

• French speakers in Quebec wanted a separate definition of what it meant to be Quebecois

– This was left open to interpretation: English-Canadians were worried• Aboriginal Peoples felt that Quebec should not get “distinct

society” status if they weren't

• So, NFLD, then NB & MAN did not ratify the MLA– Led by aboriginal leader, Elijah Harper, Manitoba

did not sign the accord

Meech Lake Proposal

• Five parts made up the proposed Accord:1. Quebec would be considered “distinct society”2. Three of nine Supreme Court Judges were to come from

Quebec3. Any amendments to the new constitution would require

agreement from all 10 provinces4. Provinces could chose to opt out of federal funding5. Quebec would be able to control its own immigrations• The Meech Lake Accord became known as the

Quebec Round of the constitutional amendmentsAccord FAIL!

French-English Relations in the 1980s & 1990s IV

• Charlottetown Accord, 1992:– Much had been the case in 1987, the issue of a

constitutional amendment came to the forefront yet again• Meech Lake’s failure = no Quebec in the constitution

– What the Charlottetown Accord aimed to do:• Provisions for aboriginal self-government• Senate reform• Universal health care• Worker’s rights• Environmental protection

– This round of negotiations was known as the Canada Round

Charlottetown Accord II

• The Canada round also included:– The Canada Clause

• In addition to the “Distinct society” clause for Quebec– The Canada Clause:

• Outlined values and characteristics that define all Canadians, including a commitment to the equality of men and women, and the well-being of all Canadians

– The Vote:• Results: only 4 of 10 provinces approved• 6 provinces felt that the provisions were too large and daunting• Aboriginals, women, and the Reform Party were also against CA

French-English Relations in the 1980s & 1990s V

• Bloc Quebecois:– Following the 1993 election, the federal separatist

party – Bloc Quebecois – became the Official Party of Opposition in Canada

– Led by Lucien Bouchard• Despite the fact that he worked for the “Yes” side in Quebec’s

1980 referendum and he was former member of Brian Mulroney’s Conservative Party (Law School buddies)– Held posts such as Secretary of State, and Minister of the

Environment» Did not like the way Meech Lake Accord was going

• Mulroney has said his “most regrettable and costly error as Prime Minister was trusting Bouchard”

French-English Relations in the 1980s & 1990s VI

• Parti Quebecois:– Following the 1993 Federal Election, the Provincial

Liberal government lost the Quebec Provincial Election in 1994• Led by Jacques Parizeau, the Parti Quebecois came to

power

French-English Relations in the 1980s & 1990s VII

• The Referendum, 1995:– The rejection of Charlottetown left many in

Quebec feeling that the rest of Canada was indifferent to their wishes• So, 1995, Jacques Parizeau decided to hold another

referendum on the question of Quebec’s sovereignty– Following a heated campaign, the results came

back much closer than the first referendum in 1980• The “Non” side won with 50.6% of the vote (no = yes for

CAN)

Referendum, 1995 II

• What’s next for Quebec?– Parizeau resigned as the leader of the PQ, he was replaced

by Lucien Bouchard (stepped down as leader of Bloc Quebecois)• Bouchard “had” every intention of calling for another sovereignty

referendum, but would only do so under “winning conditions”

• New Question…– Could Quebec legally separate from Canada on a unilateral

(alone) basis, of did separation require the consent of all of the provinces?

Sovereignty allowed, oui or non?• Calgary Declaration, 1997:

– As a “goodwill” gesture, the Canadian Government declared Quebec to be a unique society (not distinct) as part of the Calgary Declaration• PQ Leader Bouchard did not attend this meeting

• Supreme Court Decision, 1998:– Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Quebec did not have the right

to separate unilaterally from Canada• To achieve independence, sovereignty would have to negotiate with the

federal gov’t, the provinces, the aboriginal nations living in Que. and any other minorities living there– These negotiations could only happen if a “clear majority” voted “yes” to a “clear

question” – Separation was not as easy as the PQ had said it was…

• Clarity Act, 1999:– Passed to ensure that any future referenda must have a clear

question and be won by a clear majority