Amending Canada's constitution

the long version

For nearly thirty years - from 1968 to 1996 - Canadians have been involved in an almost constant debate on their Constitution. The issues, like the politicians who shaped them, have been complex and varied, sometimes colourful, and often highly controversial. But at the centre of this debate, one key issue has remained: the challenge of devising rules and processes for making changes to the Constitution. Political scientists, historians and students of public law will appreciate how Amending Canada's Constitution provides an inside, yet impartial, look at the broad issues and processes of constitutional change. The book, by one of Canada's leading authorities, is rich in facts and details, including rare or recently de-classified letters and documents. General readers and those new to the constitutional debate will benefit from a comprehensive and highly readable overview of some of the most significant and turbulent moments in the history of the Canadian federation. Events like the 1982 patriation of the Constitution and the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords - often discussed and frequently misunderstood - are reviewed and clearly explained with references to correspondence and other supporting memoranda. Of particular note is the series of letters between Pierre Trudeau and Rene Levesque in 1981-82 on the question of a Quebec veto.