French and English Relations 1980’s 1990’s

1. Megan Ranjeev Reymund David Sharon French and English Relations 1980’s 1990’s

2. 1980 Referendum and Quebec Sovereignty • Rene Levesque/Parti Québécois wanted Sovereignty by Association • Quebec would be politically separate, but still have economic ties to Canada (still have free trade, tariffs, and currency) • Referendum held to vote on the issue of greater independence • Result = 40% of Québec voted yes for Sov. by Asso. (SBA)

3. Patriating the Constitution • This meant that Canada wanted to gain control of the Constitution back from Britain. • Canada couldn’t make changes if it was still in Britain unless we gained permission.

4. Amending Formula and Why? • An amending formula is a set of rules that guide the process of changing the Constitution. • Was an crucial step that Trudeau had to take to be able to create a standardized way of making changes to the Canadian Constitution. • In Canada, 7 out of 10 provinces, equaling at least 50% of the population, have to agree to a constitutional change.

5. Two Components • Drafted by Trudeau,was the BNA act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngYEcae6ndE • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLkJbcW33rE

6. Kitchen Compromise  • The Prime Minister went in the kitchen of the National Conference Center to chat about the amending formula. This night created the notwithstanding clause. • Premier Levesque felt betrayed because he felt that everyone ganged up and denied Québec of its own distinctstatus.

7. Notwithstanding Clause • The Notwithstanding Clause is a provision in the Constitution that allows provinces to passlaws, even if it goes against the Constitution.

8. Constitution Debate / Fix the Mistake • The Supreme Court ruled that in order for Québecto separate, it would have to have a clear majority making it almost impossible for them to separate. • PM Mulroney wanted to make up for the mistakes of the Constitution of 1982. “I’ll fix this!”

9. Meech Lake Accord • Change in the constitution offered Québeca “distinct society”. It would create “two solutions” in Canada isolating the Francophonesof Quebec. • Large oppositionby the Parti Quebecois • Trudeau believed it would divide Canada • Quebec could overrule the constitution and rob certain groups in Canada of rights • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA2-Ch4vC4k

10. Elijah Harper / Charlotte Town Accord/ Meech Lake Contin. • Elijah Harper is aCree member of the Manitoba legislature, opposed the Meech Lake Accord because it did not recognizeCanada’s Aboriginal nation as a distinct society • CTA proposed aboriginal self government; failed because BC felt it gaveQuébec too much power and they objected to the guarantee that Québec would always have 25% of the seats in the House of Commons regardless of the size of its population. Aboriginals?

11. Lucien Bouchard • Lucien Bouchard became the Québecpremier in 1996, he talked periodically of a new referendum. • Made the Bloc Québécois to dedicate and be committed to Québec’s separation from Canada after the failure of Meech Lake • It was a federal party targeted towards Québec “Pour un Québec lucide"

12. 1995 Referendum • According to the 1995 referendum, 49.4% of the Québécois voted for sovereignty

13. 1998 Supreme Court • The Supreme Court ruled that Québec did not have the right to separate completely – it would have to negotiate with the federal government, and the 9 other provinces, the Aboriginal nations living in Québec, and the other minorities

14. Clarity Act of 1999 • The Clarity Act of 1999 decreed that a futureQuébecreferendum needed to have a clearly-worded question and a clear majority, if the topic of the referendum would be passed into law.