Community of the Canadas

Agar Adamson is the author of Letters of Agar Adamson, 1914–19 and former chair of the Department of Political Science at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.

This essay appeared first as Courchene’s brief to Quebec’s
Bélanger-Campeau Constitutional Commission. Like so many previous
essays published by the Institute in its Reflections series, this one
overflows with provocative ideas. The author sums up our entire
constitutional crisis when he writes, “If Canada cannot accommodate
Quebec’s distinctiveness, then it cannot accommodate the First
Nations’ distinctiveness nor, in a few decades, the distinctiveness of
the west coast, which will by then be Pacific Rim oriented and perhaps
significantly Pacific Rim peopled.”

Courchene is full of ideas. His concept of a Senate modelled on a
“community council” of five equal Canadas—Canada East, Quebec,
Ontario, Canada West, and the First Nations/Territories—has
considerable merit. His view that the Charter falls under Section 94 of
the Constitution Act (1867) is a novel idea. If he is correct, then the
future of the Charter in Quebec may be short-lived.

Courchene cannot be accused of accepting the status quo. He is
thoughtful, provocative, reflective, and stimulating. At the same time,
he is realistic: he knows that it will take a great deal of good will
and hard work to overcome our current difficulties. His concept of a
community of The Canadas with many concurrent powers plus provincial
paramountcy (CPP, he calls it) is a model worthy of discussion by
Canadians. As for the politicians, they will find it to be too radical
for their liking and will thus ignore it.