alternatehistory.com
Part 17: Canada (1979-1989)
...The first Progressive Conservative government in 16 years, Prime Minister Horner set about implementing a more austere budget than what Canadians had come to expect out of Ottawa, angering some Red Tories within his own party with his meager funding for several programs. While inflation began getting under control, the economy otherwise took a hit when the knock-on effects of the United States' removal from "unfavorite nation" status in several oil-exporting Middle Eastern nations and lessening of dependence on Canadian oil.
Horner's government succeeded in ignoring constitutional debates until the province of Quebec announced it would hold a referendum on independence in 1981. The outspoken Horner quickly became the great bogeyman of the "yes" campaign and his unpopularity in the province caused Ottawa at various points to fear that Quebec would vote for independence. Owing to unsatisfactory answers on several questions related to succession by the Parti Québécois ministers who had initiated the referendum as well as Trudeau returning to lead the "no" campaign, the vote failed 47% for independence to 53% against.
Horner was left weakened as a result. The Liberals, now under Allan MacEachen, seized upon Horner as being too divisive to lead Canada and made the case to voters when Horner called for new elections in 1983.
The Liberals again won the popular vote (this time by a margin of three percent) but owing to vote inefficiency and the New Democrats also making healthy increases in the popular vote (but only gaining two seats), the Progressive Conservatives won a plurality and thus Horner was left in office. With only a six seat plurality, Horner was left in an incredibly weak position and unable to push for the promised reforms which the PCs had hoped would placate Quebec. Under threat of a MacEachen introducing a no-confidence motion that the NDP was sure to vote for, Horner called for new elections in the summer of 1984.
The Liberals won a majority of twenty-one seats, and gave MacEachen a chance to implement his reforms that would stave off another Quebec referendum. The Liberal leader turned to constitutional repatriation and with Parti Québécois' defeat in the 1985 provincial elections, the major roadblock to repatriation was removed as the new premier, Liberal Pierre Paradis, quickly fell in line behind MacEachen's plan for patriation. Paradis was, although, the key factor in pushing MacEachen to grudgingly accept changing the constitution to grant provincial premiers the ability to choose half of the provincial senators in exchange for the unanimous passage. Canada formally patriated its constitution from Great Britain in 1986, with Quebec independentist sentiment muted by the new provincial powers to appoint senators as well as the constitutional protection of bilingualism in Canada.
By the time Canadians were again asked to vote for their MPs, the main political issue became a proposed free trade agreement with the United States, proposed by the Dole Administration. The Progressive Conservatives, now led by John Crosbie, were vocal proponents while the New Democrats under Ed Broadbent were strong opponents. MacEachen, who had good relations with President Dole and did not wish to spite his American counterpart, dodged the issue of whether he supported free trade, and the Liberal Party as a whole followed his example, with some ministers coming out as supporting it while others opposed.
The Liberals' confused and non-committed answer to the free-trade question led to a loss of their majority and the Progressive Conservatives' win in the popular vote. MacEachen only continued to be a resident of 24 Sussex Drive thanks to Quebec, who only returned one non-Liberal MP out of 75 total (largely as a result of the constitutional patriation), with Quebec MPs making up over one-half of his entire parliamentary caucus.
Ironically, the entire free trade debate was rendered moot a month later when Dole lost his bid for re-election to Walter D. Huddleston. It quickly became apparent that Huddleston was opposed to free trade and thus the matter was dropped when the new president took office in January 1989...
Horner's government succeeded in ignoring constitutional debates until the province of Quebec announced it would hold a referendum on independence in 1981. The outspoken Horner quickly became the great bogeyman of the "yes" campaign and his unpopularity in the province caused Ottawa at various points to fear that Quebec would vote for independence. Owing to unsatisfactory answers on several questions related to succession by the Parti Québécois ministers who had initiated the referendum as well as Trudeau returning to lead the "no" campaign, the vote failed 47% for independence to 53% against.
Horner was left weakened as a result. The Liberals, now under Allan MacEachen, seized upon Horner as being too divisive to lead Canada and made the case to voters when Horner called for new elections in 1983.
The Liberals again won the popular vote (this time by a margin of three percent) but owing to vote inefficiency and the New Democrats also making healthy increases in the popular vote (but only gaining two seats), the Progressive Conservatives won a plurality and thus Horner was left in office. With only a six seat plurality, Horner was left in an incredibly weak position and unable to push for the promised reforms which the PCs had hoped would placate Quebec. Under threat of a MacEachen introducing a no-confidence motion that the NDP was sure to vote for, Horner called for new elections in the summer of 1984.
The Liberals won a majority of twenty-one seats, and gave MacEachen a chance to implement his reforms that would stave off another Quebec referendum. The Liberal leader turned to constitutional repatriation and with Parti Québécois' defeat in the 1985 provincial elections, the major roadblock to repatriation was removed as the new premier, Liberal Pierre Paradis, quickly fell in line behind MacEachen's plan for patriation. Paradis was, although, the key factor in pushing MacEachen to grudgingly accept changing the constitution to grant provincial premiers the ability to choose half of the provincial senators in exchange for the unanimous passage. Canada formally patriated its constitution from Great Britain in 1986, with Quebec independentist sentiment muted by the new provincial powers to appoint senators as well as the constitutional protection of bilingualism in Canada.
By the time Canadians were again asked to vote for their MPs, the main political issue became a proposed free trade agreement with the United States, proposed by the Dole Administration. The Progressive Conservatives, now led by John Crosbie, were vocal proponents while the New Democrats under Ed Broadbent were strong opponents. MacEachen, who had good relations with President Dole and did not wish to spite his American counterpart, dodged the issue of whether he supported free trade, and the Liberal Party as a whole followed his example, with some ministers coming out as supporting it while others opposed.
The Liberals' confused and non-committed answer to the free-trade question led to a loss of their majority and the Progressive Conservatives' win in the popular vote. MacEachen only continued to be a resident of 24 Sussex Drive thanks to Quebec, who only returned one non-Liberal MP out of 75 total (largely as a result of the constitutional patriation), with Quebec MPs making up over one-half of his entire parliamentary caucus.
Ironically, the entire free trade debate was rendered moot a month later when Dole lost his bid for re-election to Walter D. Huddleston. It quickly became apparent that Huddleston was opposed to free trade and thus the matter was dropped when the new president took office in January 1989...
- lord caedus
- Word Count: 680