Drawing on his experience as a two-term MP and former Parliamentary Secretary, Ted McWhinney addresses the need for modernization to meet the radically new demands of the plural, multicultural Canada of the 21st century and offers new ways out of our present constitutional straight-jacket. Among the key contemporary topics discussed are the atrophy of the House of Commons and the role of MPs; the development of the "presidential" Prime Minister without any constitutional checks and balances; the emergence of judicial legislation through a Supreme Court suddenly empowered by the 1982 Charter of Rights; the provincial demands for a new cooperative federalism; and the aboriginal peoples' claims to an inherent right to self government. Proposals for reform are canvassed frankly. More importantly, practical ways out of our present constitutional straight-jacket?the result of the failure of the Meech Lake and Charlottetown accords?are put forward for debate.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Date published
- 2003.
- Description conventions
- rda
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 320.971
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 22
- Distributor
- Canadian Electronic Library (Firm),
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- n-cn---
- ISBN
- 1553800060 9781553802969
- LCCN
- JL246.S8
- LCCN Item number
- M39 2003eb
- Modifying agency
- DLC
- Original cataloging agency
- CaOPAL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (220 pages)
- Published in
- Ottawa, Ontario
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)slc00234289 (OCoLC)879869970 (CaOOCEL)447627
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaOPAL
Table of Contents
- Cover 1
- Title Page 4
- Copyright Page 5
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 7
- CONTENTS 8
- Introduction 12
- Participant Observers and Active Players 12
- The Road to Ottawa 14
- Mulroney to Chrétien 17
- I “Presidential” Prime-ministership 26
- Prime Minister’s Office — “The Kitchen Cabinet” 29
- Cabinet — “Supporting Players” 34
- Caucus 39
- Le Chef 44
- The Individual MP 46
- Other Political Parties 52
- Non-Elected Senate 55
- II Westminster Paradigm and Ottawa Practice 62
- Speaker’s Office 63
- Question Period 67
- Committees and the Party Whip 70
- III Other Players 86
- Titular Offices 87
- Constitutional Court 98
- Para-Constitutional Players 102
- IV Fault-Lines 108
- To Spend or Not To Spend 108
- Immigration and Citizenship 110
- Aboriginal Affairs 118
- Quebec Fact and Western “Alienation” 126
- The New Continentalism 135
- V Crossroads 154
- Institutional Atrophy 156
- Decline in Public Respect 166
- Escaping the Constitutional Straitjacket 174
- Politic of Little Steps 176
- VI Leadership Personality Variables 184
- Chrétien Views his Office 184
- Legacy Quest 194
- “Lame Duck” Factor 197
- VII Constitutional Postscript 206
- The Long Farewell 206
- Post-Chrétien Liberalism 213
- Resolving the Contradictions 216
- Books by Edward McWhinney 224
- About the Author 228
- Back Cover 230
