Meech Lake, OkaIs fairness, sameness?

Trudeau Retires

• 1984 - after beginning his career in 1968, Trudeau Retires• Brian Mulroney

becomes Prime Minister

The Constitution

• Quebec still had not signed the Constitution because it didn’t recognize Quebec’s uniqueness.• Mulroney agreed to allow

Quebec special status in an agreement called The Meech Lake Accord.

Opposition

• Trudeau argued that it was wrong to give any province more rights than the others.• Aboriginal leaders

were in disagreement because the accord did nothing to include native positions.

Death Blow

• The Meech Lake accord was meant to bring the nation together but is was causing a divide between English, French and Native Canadians.

• Elijah Harper, a Cree member of the Manitoba legislature, refused to vote for it which meant that the Province couldn’t ratify the deal.

THE OKA CRISIS

Native Land Claims

• The UN declared Canada the best country in the world to live during the 90s.• Aboriginals still saw

many problems in their communities with alcohol, suicide and employment.

• Sometimes, when Political action was too slow, it was replaced with militant behavior.

Oka, Quebec

• City developers wanted to extend a golf course onto sacred Mohawk burial land.

• When negotiations failed, barricades were formed to stop the developers.

• The Army was called in and the situation became very tense.

CBC news-(language warning)

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61ldZTjlfgE

The Result

• The crisis ended with the death of one police officer and 50 Mohawk warriors being taken into custody.

• Seven years later the federal government purchased the land and gave it to the Mohawks.