Trudeau reaffirms his opposition to constitutional negotiations with Quebec

Last week, Couillard announced his government would tour the country in order to discuss Quebec’s relationship with Canada, in hopes the talks would eventually lead to the province signing the 1982 Constitution. Quebec is the only province to have not done so.

Trudeau quickly responded by saying his views on the matter were clear and that the country was not reopening the Constitution.

Sovereigntist parties in Quebec suggested Trudeau’s quick rejection of Couillard’s plan was an insult to the province, while some pundits opined the provincial government’s proposed tour was likely for domestic consumption ahead of the 2018 election.

In addition to the cross-country tour, Couillard promised he would modify every department to include a unit of “Canadian relations,” which would have a mandate of ensuring Quebec had a presence from one end of the country to the other.

The Canadian Press has learned Couillard has already given the order for each department to create such units by the summer. Details about how they would function are still unclear.

Trudeau said he and Couillard have a great working relationship and he is happy to continue along those lines with the Quebec leader to improve relations between the province and the rest of the country.

But Trudeau said future discussions about Canadian unity need not take the form of official constitutional negotiations.

“I’m happy to talk about ways we can work together to continue to improve the way our country functions,” he said. “But as I’ve said many times — since the very beginning of my political career — I think those conversations need not go through constitutional negotiations.”

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Trudeau reaffirms his opposition to constitutional negotiations with Quebec

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