Constitution Act Of 1982 Essay

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The Constitution Act of 1982 was a landmark in Canadian history, establishing the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the Constitution and completing the unfinished business of Canadian independence, which allowed Canada to amend its constitution without British approval (source). While there were many pressures from inside the state in favour of constitutional change, such as the desire for autonomy from Britain, one major influence on this reform was pressure arising from the Quiet Revolution in Quebec, highlighting the French-English divide in Canada. As Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau juggled the concerns of all the provinces, Quebec’s claim to be recognized as a distinct society escalated into a tug-of-war with Ottawa, resulting in the province …show more content…

In the end, his policies seem to have had exactly the opposite effect that was intended: instead of resolving problems, his position fuelled discontent in Quebec and, ultimately contributed to the increasing rise of separatism in the …show more content…

Consequently, Quebecers often refer to the events of that evening as the “night of the long knives.” Ultimately, with the exception of Quebec, the provinces all agreed to a package of constitutional reforms, consisting of the patriation of the Constitution with an amending formula and a charter of rights, a commitment to equalization, the strengthening of provincial controls over natural resources, and the recognition and affirmation of the existing rights of Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples.
The patriation of the Canadian Consitution had a lasting impact on the sovereignty movement and did not immediately suppress French nationalism. For example, when Brian Mulroney became prime minister in 1984, he was determined to amend the Constitution making it acceptable to the government of Québec, which was led after 1985 by federalist Robert Bourassa. In 1987, Mulroney and all the premiers settled on a series of amendments in the Meech Lake Accord, but the agreement collapsed three years later when the legislatures of Manitoba and Newfoundland failed to ratify

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