Constitutional Odyssey: Can Canadians Become a Sovereign People?, Third Edition / Edition 3

by Peter H. Russell

Overview

Constitutional Odyssey is an account of the politics of making and changing Canada's constitution from Confederation to the present day. Peter H. Russell frames his analysis around two contrasting constitutional philosophies – Edmund Burke's conception of the constitution as a set of laws and practices incrementally adapting to changing needs and societal differences, and John Locke's ideal of a Constitution as a single document expressing the will of a sovereign people as to how they are to be governed.

The first and second editions of Constitutional Odyssey, published in 1992 and 1993 respectively, received wide-ranging praise for their ability to inform the public debate. This third edition continues in that tradition. Russell adds a new preface, and a new chapter on constitutional politics since the defeat of the Charlottetown Accord in 1993. He also looks at the 1995 Quebec Referendum and its fallout, the federal Clarity Act, Quebec's Self-Determination Act, the Agreement on Internal Trade, the Social Union Framework Agreement and the Council of the Federation, progress in Aboriginal self-determination such as Nunavut and the Nisga'a Agreement, and the movement to reduce the democratic deficit in parliamentary government.

Comprehensive and eminently readable, Constitutional Odyssey is as important as ever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802037770
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	09/13/2004
Edition description:	Third edition
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Peter H. Russell is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. He has written extensively on issues related to the Canadian Constitution and Canadian politics in general.

Table of Contents

	Preface to the Third Edition	vi
	Preface to the Second Edition	viii
	Preface to the First Edition	ix
1	The Question of Our Time	3
2	The Sovereignty of the People	7
3	Confederation	12
4	Provincial Rights	34
5	An Autonomous Community	53
6	Mega Constitutional Politics, Round One: Fulton-Favreau to Victoria	72
7	Round Two: New Constitutionalism	92
8	Round Three: Patriation	107
9	Round Four: Meech Lake	127
10	Round Five: The Canada Round I	154
11	The Canada Round II: The Sovereign People Say No	190
12	Canada Returns to Constitutional Normalcy	228
Appendix	The Charlottetown Accord	275
	Notes	303
	Index	345

Editorial Reviews

'In a truly timely and timely true monograph, Peter Russell reminds us what constitution-building should be about ... A book that seeks a large audience and deserves an even larger one.'

Globe and Mail - Allan C. Hutchinson

'Of the horde of known, constitutional experts none has shown more clarity and range than Peter Russell ... He popularizes intricacies. He writes for all.'

Fisher Report - Douglas Fisher