Canada's Founding DebatesJanet Ajzenstat, Paul Romney, Ian Gentles, William D. Gairdner Canada's Founding Debates is about Confederation—about the process that brought together six out of the seven territories of British North America in the years 1864-73 to form a country called Canada. It presents excerpts from the debates on Confederation in all of the colonial parliaments from Newfoundland to British Columbia and in the constituent assembly of the Red River Colony. The voices of the powerful and those of lesser note mingle in impassioned debate on the pros and cons of creating or joining the new country, and in defining its nature. In short explanatory essays and provocative annotations, the editors sketch the historical context of the debates and draw out the significance of what was said. By organizing the debates thematically, they bring out the depth of the founders' concern for issues that are as vital today as they were then: the meaning of liberty, the merits of democracy, the best form of self-government, the tension between collective and individual rights, the rule of law, the requirements of political leadership, and, of course, the nature of Canadian nationality. Canada's Founding Debates offers a fresh and often surprising perspective on Canada's origins, history, and political character. Previously published by Stoddart Publishing, 1999. |
From inside the book
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... becoming Canada's tenth province, and in our own time we are seeing the formation of provinces in the far north. The significant date remains 1873; all the colonies in existence at the time of the Quebec Conference had made their ...
... become minorities in the new federation: anglophones in Lower Canada and francophones in the country at large. In Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island the question of ethnic and cultural differences arises in a different form. Here it ...
... becoming chief justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Quebec. We have here no traditions and ancient venerable institutions; here, there are no aristocratic elements hallowed by time or bright deeds; here, every man is the first ...
... become perfect. We believe we have attained the best scheme that can be given to us . . . — House of Assembly, May 13, 1867. RED. RIVER. Louis Riel: There is ample ground ... for the belief that Canada is disposed to do us justice. She has ...
... become universal and national, hence will ensue a condition of things most perilous to British interests generally. When Lord Granville* spoke of “comprehensiveness” and “impartiality” in a legislature, surely he must have lost sight of ...
Contents
PART THREE WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT IDENTITY | |
British or Canadian? | |
What Is a Canadian? | |
PART FOUR WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT THE NEW NATIONALITY | |
Minorities and Minority Rights | |
PART FIVE HOW TO MAKE A CONSTITUTION | |
Pro and | |
Appendixes | |
Afterword on Books | |
Other editions - View all
Canada's Founding Debates Janet Ajzenstat,Paul Romney,Ian Gentles,William Gairdner No preview available - 2017 |