The Collapse of Canada?

America's northern neighbor faces a severe constitutional crisis. Unprecedented levels of public support for sovereignty in the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec could lead to the breakup of Canada. This crisis was precipitated by two Canadian provinces' failure in 1990 to ratify the Meech Lake Accord, a package of revisions to Canada's constitution that addressed Quebec's grievances concerning its place within the Canadian federation. The current predicament is not an isolated incident - it is part of a recurring pattern of constitutional crises in Canada.^ The longer-term question is, can workable solutions be found to keep Canada intact, or is a sovereign Quebec inevitable sooner or later? This book, aimed at an international audience, examines the complex roots of Canada's constitutional discontent, the options currently being considered, and possible futures for "northern North America." Kent Weaver begins with an analysis of the interaction of Canadian social divisions and political institutions in managing political conflict, arguing that traditional institutional arrangements have been irreparably undermined by social change and that current institutions ofte