Constituent Assemblies: A Comparative Survey

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.

The results of the October 26, 1992, referendum did not end the process
of constitutional review in Canada, but only placed it in cold storage.
When we return to the constitutional process, as we inevitably will,
this brief work will be a sought-after reference for both participants
and observers.

At the next round of constitutional talks, the cry for a constituent
assembly, rather than a series of ministerial meetings, will be much
louder than it was in 1992; politicians will reject the concept of a
constituent assembly at their peril. Fafard and Reid, though not
endorsing the concept, do point out how this process has worked in a
number of countries, including Canada (1864–1866). Newfoundland
(1946–1948), Namibia (1989), Australia, Spain, Switzerland, Germany,
and—perhaps the best example of all—India. The authors also point
out several key questions, including structure as well as selection and
operating procedures, that must be answered prior to the selection of
any constituent assembly.

Those who campaigned for an assembly in 1992 would be well advised to
study this work as a preparation for the next round of talks, whenever
they are held, for the next round must be “the people’s round,”
and the most appropriate way to involve the people is through a
constituent assembly.