Canada freed of last relic of colonialism

Press, 19 April 1982, Page 8

Canada freed of last relic of colonialism

NZPA-Reuter Ottawa Canada had full control of its Constitution yesterday, for the first time since independence 51 years, ago, after an historic ceremony clouded J>y bitter protests from the separatist Government of French-speaking Quebec. The Queen,- as head of State, gave formal effect to' the new Constitution yesterday before at least 30,000 cheering people outside the Parliament building in Ottawa. The Premier of Quebec (Mr Rene Levesque), whose long-term aim is independence, boycotted the celebrations and led a protest rally of at least. 20,000 people in Montreal which he said made Quebec “more a nation than ever.” With her proclamation, the Queen removed a colonial anachronism from Canada’s constitutional status. The hand-lettered scroll transferred to Canada full authority over its original Constitution, the 1867 British North America Act, ending what the Queen called “a quirk of history” by which the British Parliament had to rubber-stamp any amendments. It also gave effect to a

charter of rights and an allCanadian amending formula agreed last year by the Prime Minister (Mr Pierre Trudeau) and all the provincial Premiers except Mr Levesque. The reforms come after decades of bitter argument over power-sharing between Ottawa and the 10 provinces, partners in a two-tier Federal system. Mr Trudeau, hailing Canada’s legal maturity, recalled that the country’s leaders had been unable to agree on ways of amending the Constitution at independence in 1931. “We were not ready to break this last colonial link,” he said. “After 50 years of discussion we have finally decided to retrieve what is properly ours.” The Constitution “is truly Canadian at last/’ the Queen said in the glittering ceremony. She declared her “unbounded confidence in the future of this wonderful country.” Switching to French in her speech, the Queen said the absence of Quebec provincial representatives from the ceremonies was regrettable, but that it was still “right to associate the people of Que-

bee with this celebration because, without them, Canada would not be what it is today.” Quebec was "both the inspiration and the principal agent” of “perhaps the most significant step in Canada’s history” — the decision to take pride in Canada’s several languages and cultures rather than deplore the differences, she said. Mr Levesque said the new Constitution was against Quebec’s interests. He told cheering supporters that the Montreal protest march was the first step in the province’s “true national history.” His deputy, Jacques-Yvan Morin, summed up the Quebec Government’s feelings by saying: "We are being royally screwed.” Mr Morin had earlier described as “a charming crocodile tear” a remark by the Queen that Quebec's isolation was sad. The Queen was speaking to a reporter at an off-the-record reception, but the remark appeared in print later. Informed sources said she felt let down that an unattributable comment had been reported.