The Battle of London: Trudeau, Thatcher, and the Fight for Canada's Constitution
A bestseller in Quebec that describes the horse-trading, intrigue and unrest behind Trudeau’s quest to repatriate the Constitution.

After the referendum in 1980, Pierre Elliott Trudeau turned his sights on repatriating the Constitution in an effort to make Canada fully independent from Britain. What should have been a simple process snowballed into a complicated intrigue.



Quebec, which thought its prerogatives would be threatened if the Constitution were repatriated, mounted a charm offensive, replete with fine dining and expensive wines in order to influence key British MPs. Not to be outdone, Canada’s native leaders, who felt betrayed by the British Crown, decided to enter the fray, determined to ensure that their cause would triumph. The English Labour Party had a view on the matter as well, which chiefly involved embarrassing Prime Minister Thatcher as thoroughly as possible.



Historian Frédéric Bastien describes with great flair how the maverick Trudeau and the uncompromising Thatcher entered into one of history’s most unlikely marriages of convenience in order to repatriate the Canadian Constitution.

1117395725
The Battle of London: Trudeau, Thatcher, and the Fight for Canada's Constitution
A bestseller in Quebec that describes the horse-trading, intrigue and unrest behind Trudeau’s quest to repatriate the Constitution.

After the referendum in 1980, Pierre Elliott Trudeau turned his sights on repatriating the Constitution in an effort to make Canada fully independent from Britain. What should have been a simple process snowballed into a complicated intrigue.



Quebec, which thought its prerogatives would be threatened if the Constitution were repatriated, mounted a charm offensive, replete with fine dining and expensive wines in order to influence key British MPs. Not to be outdone, Canada’s native leaders, who felt betrayed by the British Crown, decided to enter the fray, determined to ensure that their cause would triumph. The English Labour Party had a view on the matter as well, which chiefly involved embarrassing Prime Minister Thatcher as thoroughly as possible.



Historian Frédéric Bastien describes with great flair how the maverick Trudeau and the uncompromising Thatcher entered into one of history’s most unlikely marriages of convenience in order to repatriate the Canadian Constitution.

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The Battle of London: Trudeau, Thatcher, and the Fight for Canada's Constitution

The Battle of London: Trudeau, Thatcher, and the Fight for Canada's Constitution

The Battle of London: Trudeau, Thatcher, and the Fight for Canada's Constitution

The Battle of London: Trudeau, Thatcher, and the Fight for Canada's Constitution

Paperback(Translatio)

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Overview

A bestseller in Quebec that describes the horse-trading, intrigue and unrest behind Trudeau’s quest to repatriate the Constitution.

After the referendum in 1980, Pierre Elliott Trudeau turned his sights on repatriating the Constitution in an effort to make Canada fully independent from Britain. What should have been a simple process snowballed into a complicated intrigue.



Quebec, which thought its prerogatives would be threatened if the Constitution were repatriated, mounted a charm offensive, replete with fine dining and expensive wines in order to influence key British MPs. Not to be outdone, Canada’s native leaders, who felt betrayed by the British Crown, decided to enter the fray, determined to ensure that their cause would triumph. The English Labour Party had a view on the matter as well, which chiefly involved embarrassing Prime Minister Thatcher as thoroughly as possible.



Historian Frédéric Bastien describes with great flair how the maverick Trudeau and the uncompromising Thatcher entered into one of history’s most unlikely marriages of convenience in order to repatriate the Canadian Constitution.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781459723290
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Publication date: 11/18/2014
Edition description: Translatio
Pages: 408
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Frédéric Bastien is a journalist and professor of history at Dawson College in Montreal.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1    First Skirmishes
Chapter 2    Commotion Combat
Chapter 3    The Referendum Battle
Chapter 4    The Green Light Thatcher
Chapter 5    Justice Against the Provinces
Chapter 6    Unilaterally
Chapter 7    Thatcher Discovers the Charter
Chapter 8    The Battle Begins
Chapter 9    The Anger of the West
Chapter 10 Thatcher Loses Control.
Chapter 11 Attack Against the Empire
Chapter 12 Federal Attack
Chapter 13 Quebec and Its Allies
Chapter 14 Coup in the Supreme Court
Chapter 15 Invalid and Void
Chapter 16 “The Lady’s Not for Turning”
Chapter 17 Compromised Peace
Chapter 18 God Bless Margaret Thatcher
Epilogue The Battle of Canada
Afterword
Bibliography
Index

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