Meech Lake Accord - The Agreement

The Agreement

The accord was negotiated at a 1987 meeting between Mulroney and the provincial premiers at Willson House, Meech Lake, in the Gatineau Hills. The two territories (at that time Nunavut did not exist) were planned to be invited, but a week before the invitations were sent, Mulroney stated that the territories did not have enough power to affect important decisions. They did, however, participate through video conference.

It identified five main modifications to the Canadian constitution: a recognition of Quebec as a "distinct society"; a constitutional veto for all provinces; increased provincial powers with respect to immigration; extension and regulation of the right for a reasonable financial compensation to any province that chooses to opt out of any future federal programs in areas of exclusive provincial jurisdiction; and provincial input in the appointment of senators and Supreme Court judges.

Because the accord would have changed the constitution's amending formula, it needed to obtain the consent of all provincial and federal legislatures within three years. Mulroney termed this the "Quebec round" of constitutional talks and promised future reforms after the Accord had been approved.

Opposition leaders generally agreed to the accord. Liberal Party leader John Turner was put into a tough position, considering the popularity of the agreement in Quebec (a traditional Liberal stronghold until Trudeau's patriation of the constitution in 1982; since, Quebec has not voted Liberal to such an overwhelming extent) and the Trudeau ideal of federal power. He soon agreed to the accord, causing a rift in his party. New Democratic Party leader Ed Broadbent also agreed with the accord. Preston Manning of the upstart Reform Party opposed it, saying it gave Quebec unequal status among provinces. The Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, made a rare foray into political matters when she publicly expressed on 22 and 23 October 1987 her personal support for the Meech Lake Accord, for which she received criticism from its opponents.