Meech, take 2
Did François Legault really think that his government could propose to amend the Canadian Constitution to include references to the Quebec “nation” and to French as the official and common language of Quebec without causing an outcry in the rest? from Canada ? That Article 159 of Bill 96 would not be perceived in English Canada as a Trojan horse granting Quebec special status?
“The proposal to enshrine a declaration that Quebecers form a nation in the national constitution is part of the old debate around the recognition of Quebec as a distinct society. This could have all kinds of consequences in terms of the interpretation of laws and how they apply to this province. This, in turn, would affect the other provinces, ”we read this week in an editorial in the Toronto Star .
By including his proposal to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 in his language bill, Mr. Legault awakened an old reflex in English Canada that had been wrongly suspected of having atrophied since the constitutional debates. 1980s and 1990s.
Mr. Legault may have received the blessing of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his plan to amend an article of the Canadian Constitution that only applies to Quebec, most of the experts consulted by the media in English Canada have expressed serious reservations
about the approach of the Caquista government.
Some newspaper columnists have called it outright inadmissible. Those who opposed the Meech Lake accord are now preparing to take up the torch to defeat Mr. Legault's project.
And it is not only in English Canada that the opposition is mobilizing. In a column published in The Gazette , and repeated in newspapers Postmedia across the country, the former editor-in-chief of La Presse and senator André Pratte - however favorable to the constitutional recognition of the specificity of Quebec - is not there went dead hand by accusing Mr. Trudeau of having "capitulated" to Mr. Legault's demands. "Justin Trudeau has effectively indicated this week that the province of Quebec can write anything in the Constitution and he will not lift a finger against him," wrote Mr. Pratte, describing the Caquist approach as a "unilateral subterfuge".
It foresees a long legal battle if Quebec adopts Bill 96 with Article 159 intact, which would risk reopening
"the wounds that we had hoped to be closed".
Avoiding another constitutional quarrel
It is obvious that all of the federalist leaders in Ottawa are seeking to avoid yet another constitutional squabble, and not just for electoral reasons. They recognize the danger that would lie in wait for the country by relaunching
the constitutional debate without having prepared the ground.
The steps Mr. Legault took with his provincial counterparts in order to explain his project to them seem to have borne fruit. But it is only a matter of time before backbench provincial and federal deputies break the silence to express their disagreement with the amendment proposed by Mr. Legault.
This is the gamble made by the leader of the Bloc Québécois by promising to table a motion in the House of Commons aimed at measuring the support of elected federal officials for Mr. Trudeau's comments that Quebec has the right to modify. all alone the articles of the Canadian Constitution which apply only to the province. "We expect this to generate debate within Canada," the Bloc leader said this week.
What will the Liberal MPs from Quebec who represent ridings with a high anglophone density do? The president of the Quebec Community Groups Network, former federal Liberal MP Marlene Jennings, called the CAQ proposal a "constitutional blow".
In a letter this week to Minister of Justice and Montreal MP David Lametti, Ms. Jennings said the proposed amendment “jeopardizes the constitutional rights of linguistic minorities as well as the integrity of the constitutional architecture”. She asks that the proposed amendment be submitted immediately to the Supreme Court of Canada to determine its constitutionality.
On doit sake à ce que d'autres voix s'ajoutent in cells of M me Jennings dans les semaines à venir. Mr. Trudeau's support will be tested. He probably would have preferred to do without the challenge that Mr. Legault has just given him. The way he raises it could be crucial for him as well as for the country as a whole.
“The proposal to enshrine a declaration that Quebecers form a nation in the national constitution is part of the old debate around the recognition of Quebec as a distinct society. This could have all kinds of consequences in terms of the interpretation of laws and how they apply to this province. This, in turn, would affect the other provinces, ”we read this week in an editorial in the Toronto Star .
By including his proposal to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 in his language bill, Mr. Legault awakened an old reflex in English Canada that had been wrongly suspected of having atrophied since the constitutional debates. 1980s and 1990s.
Mr. Legault may have received the blessing of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his plan to amend an article of the Canadian Constitution that only applies to Quebec, most of the experts consulted by the media in English Canada have expressed serious reservations
about the approach of the Caquista government.
Some newspaper columnists have called it outright inadmissible. Those who opposed the Meech Lake accord are now preparing to take up the torch to defeat Mr. Legault's project.
And it is not only in English Canada that the opposition is mobilizing. In a column published in The Gazette , and repeated in newspapers Postmedia across the country, the former editor-in-chief of La Presse and senator André Pratte - however favorable to the constitutional recognition of the specificity of Quebec - is not there went dead hand by accusing Mr. Trudeau of having "capitulated" to Mr. Legault's demands. "Justin Trudeau has effectively indicated this week that the province of Quebec can write anything in the Constitution and he will not lift a finger against him," wrote Mr. Pratte, describing the Caquist approach as a "unilateral subterfuge".
It foresees a long legal battle if Quebec adopts Bill 96 with Article 159 intact, which would risk reopening
"the wounds that we had hoped to be closed".
Avoiding another constitutional quarrel
It is obvious that all of the federalist leaders in Ottawa are seeking to avoid yet another constitutional squabble, and not just for electoral reasons. They recognize the danger that would lie in wait for the country by relaunching
the constitutional debate without having prepared the ground.
The steps Mr. Legault took with his provincial counterparts in order to explain his project to them seem to have borne fruit. But it is only a matter of time before backbench provincial and federal deputies break the silence to express their disagreement with the amendment proposed by Mr. Legault.
This is the gamble made by the leader of the Bloc Québécois by promising to table a motion in the House of Commons aimed at measuring the support of elected federal officials for Mr. Trudeau's comments that Quebec has the right to modify. all alone the articles of the Canadian Constitution which apply only to the province. "We expect this to generate debate within Canada," the Bloc leader said this week.
What will the Liberal MPs from Quebec who represent ridings with a high anglophone density do? The president of the Quebec Community Groups Network, former federal Liberal MP Marlene Jennings, called the CAQ proposal a "constitutional blow".
In a letter this week to Minister of Justice and Montreal MP David Lametti, Ms. Jennings said the proposed amendment “jeopardizes the constitutional rights of linguistic minorities as well as the integrity of the constitutional architecture”. She asks that the proposed amendment be submitted immediately to the Supreme Court of Canada to determine its constitutionality.
On doit sake à ce que d'autres voix s'ajoutent in cells of M me Jennings dans les semaines à venir. Mr. Trudeau's support will be tested. He probably would have preferred to do without the challenge that Mr. Legault has just given him. The way he raises it could be crucial for him as well as for the country as a whole.
Konrad Yakabuski
LEDEVOIR
https://www.ledevoir.com/opinion/chroniques/603662/meech-prise-2?utm_source=infolettre-2021-05-22&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=infolettre-quotidienne
LEDEVOIR
https://www.ledevoir.com/opinion/chroniques/603662/meech-prise-2?utm_source=infolettre-2021-05-22&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=infolettre-quotidienne