A SENSE OF PROPORTION AND A SENSE OF PRIORITIES: REFLECTION ON THE REPORT OF THE TASK FORCE ON CANADIAN UNITY

Abstract

This article undertakes a critical analysis of the Report of the Task Force on National Unity. It claims that although the Report satisfactorily defines the course of amendment that Canada ought to follow, it fails to ask some important questions, such as whether or not radical amendment to the constitution is desirable or necessary in the first place. It begins with a comparison between Quebec and the Western provinces, in order to expose similarities and differences in the nature of their discontent and to facilitate the examination into whether constitutional remedies are the most appropriate way to proceed. It also questions the conviction that devolution of power to the provinces will contribute to greater unity and proposes an alternative approach to harmonization.