Case Study: The Meech Lake Accord

Superior Essays
Introduction
The Canadian Constitution, also known as the supreme law, describe Canada’s process of both codified and uncodified traditions as well as convention. It allows for the division of powers between federal and provincial powers and encompasses the rights and freedoms of all Canadians. The Meech Lake Accord was the first attempt to amend the newly patriated Constitution in order to facilitate changes depicted by the Constitution Act, 1982. The Meech Lake Accord was a set of constitutional amendments designed to persuade Quebec to accept the Canada Act. The accord was proposed by both Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and premier of Quebec, Robert Bourassa. The failures of Meech Lake have had vast impacts on conduct of current day politics, as well as describe the interprovincial relationships in Canada. Throughout this paper I will argue that demand for the Distinct Society clause by Quebec had an exclusionary impact on Canada’s aboriginal population due to a lack of consultation which together resulted in the failure of the Meech Lake Accord. The five main modification demanded of the accord for the Constitution by Quebec are the following: a recognition of the province of Quebec as a ‘distinct society”; a commitment to Canada’s bilingualism; increased provincial powers with respect to immigration; expansion of the
…show more content…
This closed door approach to the political process caused allowed for little input or negotiations from others and ultimately led to the decline and fall of the Meech Lake Accord, which resulted from a number of failures in the eyes of the public. However, two distinct oppositions can be found as the cause of the collapse of the Meech Lake Accord such as the Distinct Society clause and the absence of aboriginal

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    The James Bay Cree Society

    • 1923 Words
    • 8 Pages

    “On one side were those Crees who advocated accommodation with the Quebec government’s vision of modernity, and with it more complete integration in the formal economy, with hope for the future based on jobs, money, and economic growth, and most important, a willingness to accept as the cost of bringing this future into being the environmental impacts of extractive industries, notably new hydroelectric installations on major rivers (Niezen pg. 107)”. On the other side of the Cree, stood those who believed in the ancestry’s way of life: living off the land’s resources. There became a clear separation between the Cree, a struggle I am sure has been detrimental to who they are as a people. The changes in lifestyle will cause a permanent separation of Cree…

    • 1923 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Meech Lake Accord was voted on by Provincial Legislature. Unlike if Citizens of Canada voted for it, the votes needed to be unanimous in favour of the Meech Lake Accord. It would need to be unanimous in all Provincial Legislature. Quebec made deals with the Premier of each province to include conditions that would benefit them. These changes include changes in split cost programs and power over immigration to their province.…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Neal McLeod’s “Rethinking Treaty Six” focuses on the creation and results of Treaty Six while documents 2.3, 2.5, 2.6 and 2.7 in Keith Smith’s Strange Visitors focuses on Treaty 7; both accounts highlight how there are different views of the treaties impact depending on the document and party involved. Written accounts were from the British perspective who imposed regulations while oral accounts were from Indigenous people who had to endure dire conditions following the treaties. Smith’s primary documents outline the articles in Treaty 7, the consequences that Indigenous people faced and oral accounts of the events. McLeod focuses on the need to reexamine history and the importance of understanding past events from an Indigenous perspective;…

    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    This agreement can also be bad for Canada. The Nisga’a group is separated from Canada and they don't share the same “canadian culture.” The Nisga’a group focus on expressing their culture and…

    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1980 Quebec Referendums

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A crucial aspect of any political question is the demographic regarding the issue. A referendum is a vote performed by the affected public relating to a specific issue. Therefore, the 1980 and 1995 Quebec referendums about pursuing sovereignty greatly rely on the general public’s view. Upon analysis of the results of both votes, it is clear that independence for Quebec should not be granted. In the 1980 referendum, in which 84.3 percent of the Quebec population voted, 59.5 percent of voters were opposed to the idea of Quebec seceding from Canada, leaving the remainder 40.5 percent in favor of the idea (“1980 Referendum”).…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    History Script: Since the early 17th century until the early 1900s, Aboriginal Peoples have signed treaties with the British and French, which the two countries then, turned into Canadians later on, after Confederation. Although, in the beginning, when the British first started to sign treaties with the Aboriginals, they wanted to encourage peace, yet, later on, the British and French looked at the treaties from a different perspective, then the Aboriginals and each country had different goals that they wanted to achieve from the treaties. Even though, the Aboriginals sacrificed a lot of their rights and freedom while signing the treaties, I strongly believe, each and every treaty that was signed with the Aboriginal Peoples was worthy and they were historically significant to Canadian history. In the early 17th century Aboriginal Peoples began to sign treaties with the French and British.…

    • 1089 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Roger Gibbins’ article “Political Discontent in the Prairie West, Patterns of Continuity and Change” gives his readers a perspective into the western Canada’s political landscape up to the 1984 federal election. Gibbins uses pass federal elections to point out there has been an ongoing pattern of regional discontent in western Canada, which has not changed since the turn of the century. Economic dependency plays a part in the western Canada regional discontent, along with the lack of western representation in the House of Commons, which is referred to as western alienation. The root cause of the western alienation comes from the continual frustration that western Canadians believe they are left out of Canadian federal political, economic,…

    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Social and political marginalization, as well as political turmoil most accurately, construe Canada’s inherent history of…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Further, the language used by John A. Macdonald in the Legislative Assembly when describing the formation of a united Canada refers to a union for the benefit of people of “the same blood and lineage” which has obvious racial and cultural implications. The residential school system, the early iterations of the Indian Act that were pioneers…

    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    What does the current model of Indigenous “self-government” in Canada offer to First Nations? Using an example (such as Nunavut), examine the pros and cons of this model and how this does/does not provide an opportunity for First Nations to become healthy, sustainable, and self-sufficient. Self-government is the cornerstone of the Inuit policy goals in the Nunavut region. While self-government is an important goal, the idea is intricately linked to other goals such as land claims settlements, cultural preservation, and economic development; goals which the people of Nunavut are finding very hard to meet (Nowland-Card, 41). Indigenous people were self-governed long before Europeans arrived in Canada, but in 1876, the Indian Act came into…

    • 2048 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    The British North America Act, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms have created a situation in which the legislation to protect the people from the power of the Court is muddled down, and what is left is an oligarchy of people from one singular ethnic background and very similar socializations. The ability of the Court to strike-down legislation written by a democratically elected commons defies the will of the people. Thus subjecting them to live by what another body believes ought to be morally and legally right, showing that this institution challenges the democratic values of Canada, and is operating with an excessive amount of…

    • 1470 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Canadian Constitution, the supreme law of the land, has been evolving from the colonial era to the present. The story of the constitution is the story of Canada itself: a reflection of the legal, social and political pressures that Canadians facing, as well as their choice as a society. In 1982, Canada "repatriation" of the constitution, the state's supreme law, the British North America Act, transferring from the British Parliament's authority, which is the connection with the past colonial ties, to Canada's federal and provincial assemblies. The Constitution also updated a new revision of the formula and the Charter of rights. During the 18 months of political and legal battles, the issue dominated headlines and the agendas of every government…

    • 162 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Indigenous peoples of Canada have been mistreated for years, yet only recently has our government began to rebuild this important and valuable relationship. Canadians are generally known for their welcoming attitudes and openness towards others, however this view has constantly been tested since the beginning of the twentieth century. The largest problem facing Canadians as a nation is the constant mistreatment and discrimination shown towards the Indigenous Peoples, who are the descendants of the original inhabitants of this land. This is such an important issue because we are taking away the fundamental rights of these people.…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Central to the separatist movement of the latter half of the twentieth century was the argument that Quebec needed to become an independent state in order to ensure the survival of the French language, uphold the integrity of Quebecois culture, and allow Quebec’s government to proficiently govern its own affairs. In the views of many, the fact that Quebec has managed to do these things in recent decades without sovereignty has diminished the need and legitimacy of calls for separation. In my opinion, these developments have indeed put to the lie the need for Quebec independence, for it is now apparent that independence is not a prerequisite of achieving these goals. That said, it does not necessarily put to the lie the legitimacy of independence, for the legitimacy of Quebec’s desire for independence is based on more than necessity alone. This essay will discuss how Quebec achieved each of the aforementioned feats without independence, in order…

    • 1725 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Based off the history of indigenous peoples in Canada, one thing is for certain; discriminatory and inhumane acts by European conquest, towards a unique culture has altered the Aboriginal way of life we see in Canada today. While the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), has been evolving and developing for multiple years, these 94 recommendations give important insight and suggestions in how the nation of Canada can move away from this unjust history, reconcile and work towards becoming a stronger nation. While it may seem that reparations are impractical from the devastations of such events as the Indian residential schools, the TRC has been a timely process with the intent to restore an altered Aboriginal life and strengthen ties with…

    • 1149 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays