Opposition
When the Meech Lake Accord was debated in the Quebec National Assembly, it was opposed by the Parti Québécois. After the ten provincial premiers agreed to the accord, national public opinion polls initially showed that a majority of Canadians supported the proposed agreement. However, by June 1990, the same polls showed that a majority now rejected the accord. Much of this decline in support was attributed to the "distinct society" clause, which some in English Canada saw as granting Quebec "special" status. Bourassa's use of the notwithstanding clause of the Canadian constitution to set aside the Supreme Court's decision to strike down parts of Quebec's Charter of the French Language (which toughened the requirements for French predominance on commercial signs) played into this; while an entirely constitutional move, it became a flashpoint for many federalist Canadians, particularly in English Canada.
Arguments against the accord also focused on the devolution of federal powers and control to the provincial governments. Pierre Trudeau spoke out against the accord, claiming Mulroney "sold out" to the provinces. Trudeau argued that Quebec, while distinct, was no more distinct than many other places in the nation. He also stated his belief that the federal government should oppose many provincial initiatives to change the balance of powers within Confederation. In a newspaper opinion piece, Trudeau wrote: "he federation was set to last a thousand years. Alas, only one eventuality hadn't been foreseen: that one day the government of Canada would fall into the hands of a weakling. It has now happened." Some Liberal MPs called on Trudeau to be their "spiritual leader" against the accord, further undermining John Turner's already fragile leadership.
Criticism was directed at the way the accord was reached. They believed it lacked public sanction. The ten premiers and the prime minister came to be seen as "11 men in suits" dealing with the future of the country behind closed doors.
Read more about this topic: Meech Lake Accord
Famous quotes containing the word opposition:
“My opposition [to interviews] lies in the fact that offhand answers have little value or grace of expression, and that such oral give and take helps to perpetuate the decline of the English language.”
—James Thurber (1894–1961)
“It is useless to check the vain dunce who has caught the mania of scribbling, whether prose or poetry, canzonets or criticisms,—let such a one go on till the disease exhausts itself. Opposition like water, thrown on burning oil, but increases the evil, because a person of weak judgment will seldom listen to reason, but become obstinate under reproof.”
—Sarah Josepha Buell Hale 1788–1879, U.S. novelist, poet and women’s magazine editor. American Ladies Magazine, pp. 36-40 (December 1828)
“At times it seems that the media have become the mainstream culture in children’s lives. Parents have become the alternative. Americans once expected parents to raise their children in accordance with the dominant cultural messages. Today they are expected to raise their children in opposition to it.”
—Ellen Goodman (20th century)