CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2007
| Author | Popadic, Petar |
|---|---|
| Title | CANADIAN CONSTITUTIONALISM AND THE MEECH LAKE ACCORD COMPETING CONCEPTIONS OF EQUALITY AND THE CANADIAN NATIONAL MYTH |
| Summary | The goal of this paper is to explain the reasons for the failure of the Meech Lake Accord. This proposed constitutional amendment was necessitated by the refusal of the Province of Québec to sign the Constitution Act, 1982. Following an analysis of the constitutional history of Canada, prior to and after Confederation, this paper goes in depth into the most important sections of the Meech Lake Accord and explores the importance, as contributory elements, of several factors and evaluates their influence on the outcome of the proposed constitutional amendment. This paper concludes that, contrary to popular opinion in Canada, various strands of nationalism are not solely to blame for the amendment’s failure. In addition to the competing notions of Québec and English nationalism, the main thesis of this work holds that increasing regionalism, provincial activism, Native political movements, Charter supporters and minority groups all played a vital role in mobilizing against the Meech Lake Accord. Suggestions to bring any future attempts at constitutional reform to a successful conclusion include an overhauling of the negotiating process, an end to the long-standing practice of ‘executive federalism’ and the finding of a balance between the demands of Québec and the needs of the rest of Canada. |
| Supervisor | Dimitrijevic, Nenad |
| Department | Political Science MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2007/popadic_petar.pdf |
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