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MINISTER DION STATES THAT IT IS TIME
TO MOVE BEYOND THE "CONSTITUTIONAL OBSESSION"
TORONTO, ONTARIO, January 28,
1999 – The President of the Privy Council and Minister of
Intergovernmental Affairs, the Honourable Stéphane Dion, speaking today to
students and faculty at the University of Toronto, emphasized the importance of
respecting the Constitution. "It is essential to the proper functioning of
our democracy and our whole political system," said Mr. Dion.
"The Government of Canada scrupulously respects the Canadian Constitution
and has every intention of continuing to do so."
Mr. Dion criticised the
"constitutional obsession" which he believes has clouded past
political discourse in Canada, though it has lost ground in recent years.
This obsession stems from a
"false belief that the existence of a strong separatist movement in Canada
is proof that the country’s Constitution does not work and that is must be
completely overhauled if the country is to survive." The Minister added
that "constitutional changes must not be bargaining chips. Every proposal
must be considered on its own merits, according to how it would benefit
Canadians."
The Minister noted that, as we move
away from this constitutional obsession, we gain a greater understanding of the
secessionist phenomenon, we are becoming more successful at distinguishing this
phenomenon from other Canadian realities and we are looking at the respective
powers and roles of governments in a more tangible and productive way.
Mr. Dion rejected suggestions that
"sovereignty-partnership" is a moderate solution: "It’s simply
not true that the concepts of renewed federalism and sovereignty-partnership
belong side by side. They are separated by the chasm of secession." He went
on to add, "You either secede or you don’t. You either stay in Canada or
you leave Canada and make Quebec an independent country."
The Minister stated that "the
best way to divide Quebecers is to plunge them into an attempted secession on
the basis of an unclear question and an uncertain majority, without a legal
framework."
One of the key problems of
"constitutional obsession", added the Minister, was that it
"leads people to include all sorts of considerations in the issue of
secession that simply don’t belong there."
The Minister stated that reform to
the division of powers must be based on a desire to better serve Canadians.
"Transfers of power cannot allay separatism if they are made for that
purpose alone," said Mr. Dion. He added one does not make a country
stronger by relying on such a logic of internal separatism. "Every new
transfer would lead Quebecers to withdraw even further into their territory, to
define themselves by an exclusive ‘us’, to see other Canadians increasingly
only from afar, and to reject the Canadian government and common Canadian
institutions as a threat to their nation, a foreign body."
The Minister concluded that
"there is increasing agreement that our Constitution does ‘work’, even
though it could work better." He went on to remind the audience that, most
of the time, issues can be more effectively resolved outside the rather
inflexible constitutional reform process. "The solution to our political,
economic and social problems and the promotion of the values we believe in does
not require constitutional upheaval," stated Mr. Dion.
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For information:
André Lamarre
Press Secretary
(613) 943-1838
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