Trudeau and the End of a Canadian Dream

<p>In 1982 Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau realized his life's ambition: the patriation of the Canadian constitution and the enshrinement of a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. At the same time he dealt a severe blow to his arch-enemies, the nationalists in Quebec who believed that a significant and rewarding partnership with Canada was possible without renouncing their identity as Quebecers. Laforest reveals that Trudeau betrayed the trust of the people of Quebec during the 1980 referendum on sovereignty-association and contends that the whole patriation exercise, completed without the consent of Quebec, is not legitimate in that province. He also holds Trudeau responsible for the ultimate rejection of the "distinct society" clause in the Meech Lake Accord, which had given a glimmer of hope to Quebec federalists. Trudeau and the End of a Canadian Dream shows how constitutional reform, and the political culture it fostered, shattered the hopes of those who believed that being both a Canadian and a Quebecer was possible.</p>

History

Laforest, Guy

Americas

Queen's School of Policy Studies

In 1982 Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau realized his life's ambition: the patriation of the Canadian constitution and the enshrinement of a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. At the same time he dealt a severe blow to his arch-enemies, the nationalists in Quebec who believed that a significant and rewarding partnership with Canada was possible without renouncing their identity as Quebecers. Laforest reveals that Trudeau betrayed the trust of the people of Quebec during the 1980 referendum on sovereignty-association and contends that the whole patriation exercise, completed without the consent of Quebec, is not legitimate in that province. He also holds Trudeau responsible for the ultimate rejection of the "distinct society" clause in the Meech Lake Accord, which had given a glimmer of hope to Quebec federalists. Trudeau and the End of a Canadian Dream shows how constitutional reform, and the political culture it fostered, shattered the hopes of those who believed that being both a Canadian and a Quebecer was possible.

McGill-Queen's University Press

In his famous 1839 call to reform, John George Lambton, Earl of Durham, recommended that Upper and Lower Canada be accorded responsible government by uniting the two provinces under a single legislative assembly - a union which would also bring about the assimilation of the French-Canadians. The Report has been criticized ever since - from British imperialists who found it dangerously liberal to French Canadians who despised Durham for his presumed racism. This new edition of Gerald Craig's abridgement retains his 1963 introduction and adds essays that debate Durham's political assumptions and goals, re-examine the philosophical and historical context in which the Report was created, and review the Report's reception and influence. Janet Ajzenstat reconsiders the report in the context of nineteenth-century debates about the relation between culture and political institutions, arguing that Durham should be seen as a progressive universalist opposed to the divisions of race and creed who wanted to give more freedom to French- and English-Canadians alike. Guy Laforest re-examines the report in terms of British liberal imperialism and twentieth-century English-Canadian perspectives to argue that Durham was a one-sided sociologist and the first in long line who used liberalism for imperialist purposes.

Lord Durham's Report: Text Abridged by Gerald M. Craig (Volume 208) (Carleton Contemporary Series)

Ajzenstat, Janet

Craig, Gerald M.

Carleton University Press

<p>In his famous 1839 call to reform, John George Lambton, Earl of Durham, recommended that Upper and Lower Canada be accorded responsible government by uniting the two provinces under a single legislative assembly - a union which would also bring about the assimilation of the French-Canadians. The Report has been criticized ever since - from British imperialists who found it dangerously liberal to French Canadians who despised Durham for his presumed racism. This new edition of Gerald Craig's abridgement retains his 1963 introduction and adds essays that debate Durham's political assumptions and goals, re-examine the philosophical and historical context in which the Report was created, and review the Report's reception and influence. Janet Ajzenstat reconsiders the report in the context of nineteenth-century debates about the relation between culture and political institutions, arguing that Durham should be seen as a progressive universalist opposed to the divisions of race and creed who wanted to give more freedom to French- and English-Canadians alike. Guy Laforest re-examines the report in terms of British liberal imperialism and twentieth-century English-Canadian perspectives to argue that Durham was a one-sided sociologist and the first in long line who used liberalism for imperialist purposes.</p>

The Parliaments of Autonomous Nations (Democracy, Diversity, and Citizen Engagement Series) (Volume 1)

At a time when nationalist movements are forcefully looking for new forms of political, institutional, and constitutional accommodation ? if not seeking independence altogether ? insight into their dynamics is more useful than ever. In The Parliaments of Autonomous Nations, Guy Laforest and André Lecours assemble an original perspective on minority nations in Belgium, Canada, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Analyzing how parliaments in Flanders, Quebec, Catalonia, Galicia, the Basque Country, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have worked to build, consolidate, and express their identities, manage and protect the cultural distinctiveness of their communities, as well as articulate self-determination claims, contributors provide insights into these nations? democracies and traditions. Essays also focus on the central parliaments of multinational states, and on the methods used by these parliaments to promote their own national identities and respond to minority nations? claims for recognition, autonomy, or even independence. An illuminating look at the internal forces of Western governments, The Parliaments of Autonomous Nations also offers a broad view of vital concerns such as nationalist struggles, federalism, and parliamentarism.

Politics & Social Sciences

Lecours, André

Politics & Government

<p><div>Guy Laforest is executive director of the École nationale d'administration publique (ENAP).</div></p>

Sortir de l'impasse: Vers la réconciliation (Institute for Research on Public Policy)

Gibbins, Roger

This book combines the approaches of political theory and of intellectual history to provide a lucid account of Québec’s contemporary situation within the Canadian federation.  Guy Laforest considers that the province of Québec, and its inhabitants, are exiled within Canada. They are not fully integrated, politically and constitutionally, nor are they leaving the federation, for now and for the foreseeable future. They are in between these two predicaments. Laforest provides insights into the current workings of the Canadian federation, and some of its key figures of the past fifty years, such as Pierre Elliott Trudeau, René Lévesque, Stephen Harper and Claude Ryan.  The book also offers thought-provoking studies of thinkers and intellectuals such as James Tully, Michel Seymour and André Burelle. Laforest revisits some key historical documents and events, such as the Durham Report and the 1867 and 1982 constitutional documents. He offers political and constitutional proposals that could contribute to help Québec moving beyond the current predicament of internal exile.

Interpreting Quebec’s Exile Within the Federation: Selected Political Essays (Diversitas)

P.I.E-Peter Lang S.A., Éditions Scientifiques Internationales

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Laforest, Guy. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Laforest, Guy

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Laforest, Guy. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Trudeau and the End of a Canadian Dream

Trudeau and the End of a Canadian Dream

Lord Durham's Report: Text Abridged by Gerald M. Craig (Volume 208) (Carleton Contemporary Series)

Lord Durham's Report: Text Abridged by Gerald M. Craig (Volume 208) (Carleton Contemporary Series)

The Parliaments of Autonomous Nations (Democracy, Diversity, and Citizen Engagement Series) (Volume 1)

The Parliaments of Autonomous Nations (Democracy, Diversity, and Citizen Engagement Series) (Volume 1)

Sortir de l'impasse: Vers la réconciliation (Institute for Research on Public Policy)

Interpreting Quebec’s Exile Within the Federation: Selected Political Essays (Diversitas)