Meech Lake Accord
From Open Encyclopedia
The Meech Lake Accord was a set of failed constitutional amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the provincial premiers, including Robert Bourassa, premier of Quebec. It was designed to persuade Quebec to accept the Canada Act.
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Prelude
In 1981, a round of negotiations led by Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau to patriate the Constitution reached an agreement that formed the basis of the Constitution Act, 1982. Although this agreement passed into law, augmenting the British North America Acts as the constitution of the land, it was reached over the objections of Quebec Premier René Lévesque, and the Quebec National Assembly refused to ratify the amendment. However, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in the Quebec Veto Reference that neither Quebec nor any other province had a veto to prevent the federal government from petitioning the British Parliament to pass the Canada Act 1982, and that the new constitution applied to all provinces notwithstanding their disagreement.
Brian Mulroney's election as Prime Minister and Robert Bourassa's re-election as Premier of Quebec created a new climate, one that was different from the bitter opposition between Pierre Trudeau and René Lévesque. Bourassa gave five key demands for Quebec to sign on to the Constitution.
The Agreement
The accord was negotiated at a meeting between Mulroney and provincial premiers at Meech Lake in the Gatineau Hills in 1987.
It identified five main modifications to the Canadian constitution:
- a recognition of the province of Quebec as a "distinct society";
- a commitment to Canada's bilingualism;
- increased provincial powers with respect to immigration;
- extension and regulation of the right for a reasonable financial compensation to any province that chooses to opt out of any future federal programs; and
- provincial input in appointing senators and Supreme Court judges.
Because the accord would have changed the constitution's amending formula, it needed to obtain the consent of all provincial and federal legislatures within three years.
Opposition leaders generally agreed to the Accord. Liberal leader John Turner was put into a tough position, considering the popularity of the agreement in Quebec (a traditional Liberal stronghold) and the Trudeau ideal of federal power. He soon agreed to the Accord, causing a rift in his caucus. New Democratic Party leader Ed Broadbent also agreed with the Accord. Preston Manning of the upstart Reform Party disagreed with the accord.
Opposition
While the ten Premiers agreed to the Accord, public opinion became very divided. Many found granting "special" status to Quebec unfair, and even insulting. The way the Accord was agreed to also created many problems, most importantly that the process did not have any sort of public sanction. The ten Premiers came to be seen as an "old boys club", dealing behind closed doors the future of the country.
In an interview with CBC journalist Barbara Frum, former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau spoke out against the Accord, claiming it was a sell out by Mulroney to the provinces. In the interview, Trudeau argued that Quebec, whilst distinct, was no more distinct than many other places in the nation, and should be treated as such. He also stated that the federal government should be opposing many of these intiatives, to keep the balance of powers in Confederation.Barbara Frum interview with Trudeau for CBC's 'The Journal'. He also wrote an essay published in newspapers that called Mulroney a "weakling." Some Liberal MPs called on Trudeau to be their "spiritual leader" against the Accord, further undermining John Turner's leadership.
Compromise and the "Last Supper"
As the deadline approached, however, the previous consensus began to unravel. Pressure from voters at home brought many Premiers, especially those in the Western provinces, under fire. Elections being held in some provinces revolved around the accord, as New Brunswick elected the Liberal government of Frank McKenna and revoked the previous adminstration's approval of the Accord. Newfoundland Premier Clyde Wells would soon do likewise.
Arguably, the most pressure was on Bourassa. To many Quebecers, the Accord reached was the bare minimum acceptable. Any weakening of the Accord would undermine his position and possibly bring a large backlash from Quebec.
This would prompt a First Ministers conference on June 3, 1990 (20 days before the deadline of the Accord). After a week of negotiations, a second was divised to follow Meech Lake (So that the original agreement would be signed, to save face for Bourassa). All 10 Premiers again signed the "new" Accord, although Wells said that he would have to consult the people of Newfoundland before committing to the Accord.
The agreement detailed:
- A commitment to Senate reform by July 1, 1995. The proposed Senate would be elected, "effective" (Have power over most bills), and be more representative of the other provinces. If a unanimous agreement was not made, the Senate would convert to Quebec having 24 seats, Ontario having 18, Prince Edward Island with 4, and all other provinces with 8 seats.
- Guarantee to not weaken gender equality.
- Territories can nominate Senators and Supreme Court justices.
- Future conferences on Aboriginal and minority language issues.
- Later discussions on a "Canada Clause", how new provinces would be formed, and a new amending procedure.
Wells during the meeting would echo the feelings of many in the country:
"We must never again implement this process for Constitutional reform. It is impossible for the eleven first ministers to do justice to the matters they have to consider, and it is grossly unfair to the 26 million people of this nation to have their first minister closeted and making decisions in a secret way without letting them know what was at stake, and the basis of the decisions were made."
The Final Hours
New Brunswick would soon accept the Accord, and Frank McKenna would soon tour the nation to help it pass. Manitoba and Newfoundland would be different matters.
In Manitoba, however, things did not go as planned. With many First Nations protestors outside, the Legislative assembly convened to approve the accord. Unanimous support was needed to bypass the necessary public consultation, and Elijah Harper raised a Native feather to mark his dissention. Harper was opposed because he felt First Nations were ignored in the Accord's process. Even though a legal route was found to give Manitoba more time,(The deadline would be extended 3 months, with Quebec being able to re-approve the Accord) Wells cancelled the planned vote in the Newfoundland House of Assembly. The Accord was officially dead.
Aftermath
The defeat of the Accord would be felt mostly in Quebec. Many protests were held, and soon St. Jean Baptiste Day celebrations would take on more nationalistic fervor. Immediatly after the failure of the Accord, Bourassa would make a famous speech about Quebec's position on the matter.
Mulroney's popularity would soon plummet. The handling of the Accord was condemned by many in the public, and the exhaustive and interminable debates over it would fray the public's nerves.
The Meech Lake Accord was followed up by a successor proposal known as the Charlottetown Accord, which contained many of the same proposals, along with concrete involvement of First Nations groups, a "Canada Clause", and an equal, elected Senate. The Charlottetown Accord, unlike Meech Lake, would be put to a referendum. It was defeated.
A documentary was released in 1992 about the Quebec point of view of the accord's demise called Le Mouton noir. It was directed by Jacques Godbout.
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