Chapter 8

Youth Culture

Baby boomers are the largest demographic in history

Since 1980, youth culture had fragmented into sub-groups

Multiculturalism

In 1988, the federal government enacted the Canadian Multiculturalism Act in response to the increasingly multicultural Canada

By 2001, most immigrants in Canada came from Asia

Trudeau vs Levesque

In 1980, a referendum was called by the Parti Quebecois to decide on sovereignty-association

Links that would've been kept between Canada and Quebec under sovereignty-association include:

Free trade

Common currency

Common tariffs on imported goods

The majority of Quebecois voted "no"

Amending the Constitution

Trudeau wished to patriate the Constitution, which would allow only the Canadian government to make changes

Obstacles in patriating the Constitution include:

Most provincial premiers believing that the Charter would make courts more powerful than provincial legislatures

An agreement on the Amending Formula was settled on the last night of the Ottawa constitutional conference: 7/10 provinces will represent 50% of Canada

Additionally, the Charter was accepted by the provinces under the basis that the notwithstanding clause were added

The notwithstanding clause allows Parliament, or provincial legislatures to enable an Act, even if it it doesn't follow the Charter

The constitution was patriated without Quebec's agreement

Levesque fearing that the Charter could provide the opportunity for language laws to be rewritten

The various meetings held failed to settle concerns that split the provincial and federal government

Prime Minister Mulroney re-opened the constitutional debate in hopes of gaining support from Quebec separatists during the election campaign

He had a proposal of amendments on the constitution called The Meech Lake Accord.

Its provisions include giving provinces more power, and acknowledging Quebec as a separate society

Those who were displeased include:

Aboriginal peoples, who believed they also had a distinct society and wish to be recognized

The Meech Lake Accord was rejected in 1990

Following its rejection, the Prime Minister Mulroney arranged the "Citizens' Forum" and then proposed the Charlotte Town Accord, which was another set of constitutional amendments

Canadians voted through a national referendum

54.3% of Canadians voted "no". Most of the opposition came from British Columbia

The 1995 Quebec Referendum was held as a result of frustration from the constitution debates

49.4% voted "yes"

The federal government passed the Charity Act, which declared that Ottawa would be the one to decide what a considerable majority would be

Separatism in Quebec died down by the end of the century

Its rejection increased Quebec separatism, and Lucien Bouchard formed a national party called the Bloc Quebecois

Pierre Trudeau, who claimed that having Quebec as a distinct society would only further alienate them

Critics who were concerned about the "Distinct society" clause, which would give Quebec the power to re-write the Charter and take away the rights of certain groups

Manitoba and Newfoundland, who did not support the proposal

Since the last Indigenous residential school closed in 1996, the federal government created the Royal Commission on Aboriginal peoples

The Oka Crisis

The crisis occurred when a Quebec town council wanted to expand a golf course into a land that the Mowhawk Nation perceived as sacred. They blockaded the land, in which the mayor of Oka responded by calling in Quebec's police force. Events escalated from there.

The crisis was resolved when the disputed land was bought by the federal government, and given to Kanesatake, a nearby reserve

The Algonquin Land Claim

Negotiations had began in 1992

By 2015, an agreement was reached but not ratified

Nunavut

The Inuit have control over this territory

The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples

The Assembly of First Nations released a report card stated:

1/4 First Nations children live in poverty compared to 1/6 Canadian children

Life expectancy for First Nations is lower than Canadians. For men, it's 7.4 years, for women, its 5.2.

Unemployment exceeds 50%; 60% for those who did not attend highschool

When Trudeau retired in 1984, Canada's economy was destabilizing, and the NEP failed

Mulroney and the Debt Crisis

US President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher both believed in the "trickle-down effect", an economic policy where when giving big tax breaks towards corporations and the wealthy, they would reinvest in the economy and therefore create more jobs

Mulroney used this approach

Free Trade

Prime Minister Mulroney believed free trade with the US would help businesses, increase employment rates and government revenue.

Supporters of Free trade argued the benefits of it, which includes:

Free trade leading to more US investment and therefore improve the overall economy

Give access to the US market and increase Canada's productivity, therefore our products can be sold at lower prices

US firms would go to Canada for its natural resources, skilled workers and decent transportation system

Critics of Free Trade argued:

US branch plants will go to Canada to avoid tariffs, therefore causing jobs to be lost

Canadian business can't compete with large US businesses

A potential threat for our independence. Economic union means there's increased pressure for political union.

The FTA was expanded to Mexico

In 1933, to combat the massive debt, the Liberal government put 6 billion dollars into the economy by creating public works to make more jobs

1990 and early 2000s became synonymous with poor economic conditions such as poverty and high prices, especially in healthcare

Globalization

After the FTA, Canada has signed free trade agreements with Chile and Israel

Economic globalization has drawn concerns over certain issues. such as:

The possibility of making businesses richer at the cost of most workers.

The ethical dilemma of whether Canada should create trade relations with countries that have poor human rights track records.

The Kyoto Protocol, 1933

An agreement signed by 187 nations that sets goals related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions

The Cold war

The Cold War ended in 1991

The Soviet leader, Gorbachev, proposed to the US for both superpowers to have massive arsenal cuts as a result of not being able to afford the arms race

Since end of the Cold War, NATO's supposed function is to be an active peacekeeper that would resort to military force if needed

The Persian Gulf War

When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, the UN threatened Iraq with economic sanction if they do not withdraw

In 1994, Rwanda was swept with genocide. 1 million Tutsis were murdered

Civil War in Yugoslavia

In the 1990s, Yugoslavia fell into genocide and civil war

The UN intervened by sending forces, but ultimately failed to manage the situation