Introducing 

Prezi AI.

Your new presentation assistant.

Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.

Loading content…
Loading…
Transcript

The Meech Lake Accord

Summary of the Meech Lake Accord

Background Information & History

Summary of the Meech Lake Accord

Background Information & History

Summary of the Meech Lake Accord

  • Since 1867, the Canadian Constitution has followed the rules of the British North America Act without any changes
  • 1930s: first discussion of constitutional change (the division between federal and provincial governments)
  • In Quebec's election of 1976 the Parti Québécois (PQ), under the leadership of René Lévesque, came to power
  • Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau held an essential speech in Montreal six days before the referendum vote
  • As a result, in 1980, 60% of Quebecers rejected Lévesque's idea as they voted with a 'No'

Senate Reform:

  • commitment of annual constitutional conferences of the First Ministers to discuss various matters
  • The Prime Minister should fill Senate vacancies from a list of nominees provided by the provincial governments
  • The number of names or how the nominees were to be chosen was not specified

Amending the Constitution:

  • This provision made it more difficult to amendment some aspects of the Constitution
  • Previously a "7/50" formula was used (7 of the provinces, 50% of the population). But this provision required complete unanimity for amendments to the following subject matter: fundamental changes to the Senate, the House of Commons, French and English, the Supreme Court of Canada, the creation of new provinces and the extension of old ones.
  • In order to be enshrined in the Constitution, the Accord needed to be ratified by Parliament and all ten provinces in three years

Distinct Society Clause:

  • provided constitutional recognition of Quebec as a distinct province in terms of language and culture
  • "The existence of French-speaking Canadians, centered in Quebec, but also present elsewhere, and English speaking Canadians, concentrated outside Quebec but also present in Quebec, constitutes a fundamental characteristic of Canadian society"

Federal Spending Power:

  • Gave the provinces the opportunity to choose not to participate in programs initiated by the federal government (ie. health care, social assistance, pensions) and clarified how this would be handled
  • would only have affected future programs created after the Accord was passed

Supreme Court of Canada:

  • Provincial governments would play a role in judicial appointments to the Supreme Court
  • In the past, Prime Ministers were free to consult with the provinces but were under no obligation to take the Premiers' views into account
  • In 1982, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau created the so-called "people's package" of constitutional reforms, that included the entrenchment of a Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the Constitution
  • 9 provincial leaders supported this change, which was officially called the Canada Act, 1982
  • Quebec was not content with the package & was the only province that did not sign the constitutional agreement but was nevertheless bound to it
  • As a result, Quebec refused to participate in constitutional conferences

Veto Over Constitutional Change:

  • The Accord would have given the provinces a veto power in special areas, as amendments in those areas could not be made without the consent of the provinces:

- changes to the Senate including those relating to its power, method of selection and provincial representation

-changes to representation within the House of Commons

- changes to the Supreme Court of Canada

- the establishment of new provinces

- the expansion of existing provinces

Immigration:

  • In the Constitution Act of 1867, the responsibility of immigration is shared by the federal and provincial government
  • the "Cullen-Couture agreement" gave Quebec a greater role in selection of immigrants
  • The Meech Lake Accord would make a commitment with any province that requested it on "immigration or the temporary admission of aliens"
  • Special agreement with Quebec that,

-incorporated the principles of the Cullen-Couture agreement

-guaranteed Quebec would receive an annual number of immigrants, within the annual total established by the federal government

-committed the federal government to withdrawing services for receiving and integrating immigrants into Quebec

Background Information & History

  • In the 1984 federal election, Conservative leader Brian Mulroney vowed to bring Quebec back into the constitutional fold "with honour and enthusiasm"
  • In 1985, Quebec's premier, Robert Bourassa, listed 5 demands that would be essential for Quebec to sign the Constitution Act, 1982:

1. Constitutional recognition of Quebec as a distinct society

2. A constitutional veto for Quebec over constitutional change

3. A role for Quebec in the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court of Canada

4. A constitutional guarantee of increased powers in the field of immigration

5. A limitation of the federal spending power

  • In 1987, federal and provincial leaders met to negotiate the basic features of the Meech Lake Accord

Conclusion & Discussion Questions

Opposition to the Meech Lake Accord

Elijah Harper

Support for the Meech Lake Accord

The Failure of the Meech Lake Accord

  • Negotiated in private by all ten Premiers and Prime Minister (Mulroney) – “eleven men in suits”
  • Future of Canada decided with no public involvement
  • Canadians who don’t believe Quebec should have distinct society status
  • Aboriginal people were not consulted at all
  • Woman and disabled also not consulted
  • Accord had to be ratified (official approval) in each legislative in order to pass
  • Legislature needs unanimous consent by all MLA’s to debate pieces of legislatives
  • Elijah Harper (Red Sucker Lake – MLA for Rupertsland, Oji-Cree) refused to give his consent
  • N.B. (Frank McKenna) plus N.F.L.D.(Clyde Wells) also then refused to ratify Meech Lake Accord
  • The "distinct society" clause would have given Quebec special status in Canada, rather than make it one of ten equal provinces
  • A symbol of backroom political deal-making (negotiated behind closed door by "11 men in suits"
  • Failure to consult Aboriginals, who would inevitably be affected by the Accord should it pass, significantly contributed to the Accord's failure
  • 2nd attempt at constitutional change: the Charlottetown Accord in 1992 (also eventually defeated)

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you agree with Meech Lake? Why or why not?

2. Do you think that if Meech Lake had passed that that it would have reunified the country and quelled the Seperatist movement or created further tensions among other provinces as Quebec would have been granted "special status"?

3. Were the concerns of those opposed to the Accord (ie. Aboriginals & women's groups) legitimate?

  • Individuals including several provincial premiers and groups such as the Friends of Meech Lake came forward to defend the agreement
  • In general, supporters of the Accord outside of Quebec included those who felt it was important to find a symbolic way to bring Quebec back into the constitutional family
  • proponents of greater provincial autonomy
  • business groups who wanted the matter settled
  • Opinion polls showed the Accord to be popular with a majority of Canadians after it was unveiled in 1987 (However, this declined in the years leading up to ratification)
  • Brian Mulroney and all 10 Premiers signed the Accord on April 30, 1987
  • The deadline for ratification was June 23, 1990
  • Meech Lake was ultimately defeated in June 1990 when the time limit for ratification expired
  • Newfoundland, who originally ratified the Accord under the leadership of Brian Peckford, rescinded its ratification under the leadership of the newly appointed Premier, Clyde Wells
  • Likewise, Frank McKenna, the newly elected Premier of New Brunswick revoked the previous government's approval of the Accord
  • Manitoba was never able to ratify the Accord because of the opposition of one MPP, Elijah Harper, who denied the government the unanimous consent necessary for an abridgment of the procedural rules

http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/politics/the-constitution/constitutional-discord-meech-lake/a-vote-of-protest.html

By: Josie Anderson, Clyde Harper, Verena Meier & Ninja Narvanen

Learn more about creating dynamic, engaging presentations with Prezi