Charlottetown Accord

The Charlottetown Accord was a package of constitutional amendments, proposed by the Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. It was submitted to a public referendum on October 26 of that year, and was defeated.

Background

Until 1982, the British North America Act of 1867 and later amendments served as the basis of Canada's constitution. As an act of the British Parliament, however, this left Canada in the anomalous position of being perhaps the only independent nation that had to petition another country's government to amend its own constitution. Since the Statute of Westminster 1931, the British government was willing to relinquish this role, but Canadian federal and provincial governments were unable to agree on a new amending formula. Various unsuccessful attempts were made to patriate the constitution. Notable among these was the Victoria Charter of 1971.

Related Topics:
British North America Act of 1867 - British Parliament - Statute of Westminster 1931 - Victoria Charter

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In 1981, a round of negotiations led by Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau reached an agreement that formed the basis of the Constitution Act of 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 Patriation Reference and 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.

Related Topics:
Prime Minister - Pierre Elliott Trudeau - Constitution Act of 1982 - Quebec - Premier - René Lévesque - Quebec National Assembly - Supreme Court of Canada - Canada Act 1982

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Canada's next prime minister, Brian Mulroney, was determined to succeed where Trudeau had failed, by reaching an agreement that would allow Quebec to ratify the Constitution. Led by Mulroney, the federal and provincial governments signed the Meech Lake Accord in 1987. However, when the 1990 deadline for ratification was reached, two provincial legislatures had not ratified the agreement, and thus it was defeated. This defeat, in turn, led to a resurgence in the Quebec sovereignty movement.

Related Topics:
Brian Mulroney - Meech Lake Accord - Quebec sovereignty movement

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In the next two years, the future of Quebec dominated the national agenda. The Quebec government set up the Allaire Committee and the Belanger-Campeau Committee to discuss Quebec's future inside or outside of Canada. The federal government struck the Beaudoin-Edwards Committee and the Spicer Commission to find ways to resolve English Canada's concerns. Former Prime Minister Joe Clark was appointed Minister of Constitutional Affairs, and was responsible for pulling all of this together to forge a new constitutional agreement.

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On August 28, 1992, the federal, provincial and territorial governments, and representatives from the Assembly of First Nations, the Native Council of Canada, the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada and the Métis National Council, came to the agreement known as the "Charlottetown Accord".

Related Topics:
August 28 - 1992 - Assembly of First Nations - Native Council of Canada - Inuit Tapirisat of Canada - Métis National Council

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