Sunday, October 4, 1992 — North Shore News ~ 13

A

Canadians have been asking for more information on the agreement reached by
First Ministers, Territorial and Aboriginal leaders in Charlottetown, August 28, 1992
The following pages are the entire unedited text of that agreement.

On October 26th, 1992 Canadians will be asked to vote on this agreement.

This document is a product of a series of meetings on constitutional
reform involving federal, provincial and territorial governments and

a representatives of Aboriginal peoples.

2 These meetings were part of the Canada Round at constitutional
renewal. On September 24. 1991, the Government of Canada tabled

_, In the federat Pastiament a set of proposals for the renewal of the
Canadian federation entitled Shaping Canada's Future Together, These
proposals were referred to a Special Joint Committee of the House of
Commons and the Senate which travalled across Canada seeking
‘views on the proposals. The Committee received 3,000 submissions

._ and listened to testimony from 700 indiviauals. :

' During the same pericd, all provinces and territories created forums fot

*; public consultation on constitutional matters. These forums gathered

; feaction and advice with a view to producing recommendations to their
Governments. in addition, Aboriginal peoples were consulted by
national and regional Aboriginai organizations.

“An innovative forum for consultation with experts, advocacy groups and
citizens was the series of six televised national conferences that took
place between Jaiuary and March of 1992. Shortly before the release
of the report. of.the Special Joint Committee on a Renewed Canada, the

: Prime Minister invited representatives of the provinces and territories

~ and Aboriginal leaders to meet with the federal Minister of

Constitutional Affairs to discuss the report. ‘

“At this initiat meeting, held March 12, 1992, in Ottawa, participants
agreed to proceed with a series oi meetings with (he objective of

* reaching consensus on a set of constitutional amendments. It was
agreed that participants would make best efforts to reach consensus
before the end of May, 1992, and that there would be no unilateral
actions by any governments while this process was under way. It was
subsequently agreed to extend this series of meetings into June,
and then into Juty.

‘To Support their work, the heads of delegation agreed to establish a
Coordinating Committee, composed of senior government officials and
representatives of the four Aboriginal organizations. This committee,

in turn, created fcur working groups to develop options and
recommendations tor consideration by the heads of delegation.

Recornmendations made in the report of the Special Joint Committee
on a Renewed Canada served as the basis of discussion, as did
recommendations of the various provincia! and territoria! consultations
and the consultations with Aboriginal peoples. Alternatives and
modifications to the proposals in these reports have been the principal
subject of discussion at the multilateral meetings.

including the initial session in Ottawa, there were twenty-seven days
of meetings among the heads of delegation, as welt as meetings of the
Coordinating Committee and the four working groups. The schedule

of the meetings during this first phase of meetings was: March 12
Ottawa; April 8 and 9 Halifax; April 14 Ottawa; April 29 and 30
Edmonton; May 6 and 7 Saint John; May 11, 12 and 13 Vancouver;
May 20, 21 and 22 Montreal; May 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30 Toronto:
dune 9, 10 and 11 Ottawa; June 28 and 29 Ottawa; July 3 Toronto;
July 6 and 7 Ottawa.

Following this series of meetings, the Prime Minister of Canada
chaired a number of meetings of First Ministers, in which the
Government of Quebec was a full participant. These include: August 4
Harrington Lake; August 10 Harrington Lake; August 18, 19, 20, 21
and 22 Ottawa; August 27 and 28 Charlottetawn.

Organizational support for the full muttilateral meetings has been
provided by the Vanadian Intergovernmental Conferences Secretariat.

In the course of the multilateral discussions, draft constitutional texts
have been developed wherever possible in order to reduce uncertainty
oF ambiguity. in particular, a rolling draft of legal text was the basis

of the discussion of issues affecting Aboriginal peoples. These drafts
would provide the foundation of the formal legal resolutions to be
submitted to Parliament and the legislatures.

in areas where consensus was not unanimous, some participants
chose to have their dissents recorded. Where requested, these
dissents have been recorded in the chronological records of the
meetings but are not recorded in this summary document.

Asterisks in the text that follows indicate the areas where the
consensus is to proceed with a political accord.

A. PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES

1. Canada Clause

Anew clause should be included as Section 2 of the Constitution Act,

1867 that would express fundamental Canadian values. The Canada

Clause would guide the courts in their future interpretation of the entire

Constitution, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The Constitution Act, 1867 is amended by adding thereto,

immediately after Section 1 thereof, the following section:

“2. (1) The Constitution of Canada, including the Canadian Charter -
of Rights and Freedoms, shall be interpreted in a manner consistent
with the following fundamental characteristics:

a) Canada is a democracy committed to a parliamentary and federal
sysiem of government and to the zule of law:

b) the Aboriginal peoples of Canada, being the first peoples to govern
this land, have the right to promote the'r languages; cultures and —
traditions and to ensure tne integrity of their societies, and their
governments constitute one of three orders of government in Canada:
c) Quebec constitutes within Canada a distinct society, which includes
a French-speaking majority, a unique culture and a civil faw tradition:

d) Canadians and their governments are conimiited to the vitality

and development of official language minority coramunities

throughout Canada: ; :

e) Canadians are committed to raciai and ethnic equality ina society -
that includes citizens from many lands who have contributed, and
continue to contribute, to the-building of a strong Canada that reflects:
its cultural and racial diversity;

f) Canadians are committed to a respect for individual and collective
human rights and freedoms of all penple;

g) Canadians are committed to the equality of female and male
persons; and,

h) Canadians confirm the principle of the equality of the provinces

at the same time as recognizing their diverse characteristics.

(2) The role of the legislature and Government of Quebec to preserve
and promote the distinct society of Quebec is affirmed.

(3) Nothing in this section derogates from the powers, rights or
privileges of the Parliament or the Government of Canada, or of the
legistatures or governments of the provinces, or of the legistative