Content
Both the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords had controversially bestowed upon Quebec the status of a "distinct society." The Declaration thus parted from this trend by referring to the "unique character of Quebec society" rather than endorsing the recognition of Quebec as a distinct society. The role of the National Assembly of Quebec in promoting this uniqueness (specified as including the predominant use of the French language, its culture and its civil law) was affirmed.
Notwithstanding the uniqueness of Quebec's characteristics and the characteristics of other provinces, the Declaration stated that all provinces must have legal equality. Moreover, powers gained by any province during future constitutional negotiations would also have to be offered to the other provinces. In the process, Canadian federalism was reaffirmed as the form of Canada's government, and it was stated that this system could operate to ensure Canadians would receive social services, as long as the various levels of government "work in partnership while respecting each other's jurisdictions."
The Declaration also affirmed equality rights (including "equality of opportunity") and recognized Canada's multiculturalism, indeed asserting that Canada's "diversity" and "tolerance" are "without rival in the world." In recognizing Canada's diversity, the Declaration made explicit reference to the "Aboriginal peoples and cultures."
Read more about this topic: Calgary Declaration
Famous quotes containing the word content:
“I am as content to die for God’s eternal truth on the scaffold as in any other way.”
—John Brown (1800–1859)
“To me style is just the outside of content, and content the inside of style, like the outside and the inside of the human body—both go together, they can’t be separated.”
—Jean-Luc Godard (b. 1930)
“It is still not enough for language to have clarity and content ... it must also have a goal and an imperative. Otherwise from language we descend to chatter, from chatter to babble and from babble to confusion.”
—René Daumal (1908–1944)