TT HAS BEEN TEN YEARS since Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau initiated<br > the process of patriating the Canadian constitution with a charter 0f<br > rightsa process which required approval by the British Parliament at<br > Westminster and the provinces of CanadaBy his own admissionthe Prime<br > Ministertook what he could getһa flawed document(flawed with the<br > help of the Supreme Court of Canada)which failed to lodge sovereignty in<br > the peopleleft for future consideration the division of powers and included<br > a notwithstanding clause that allowed the federal or provincial govern<br > merits to suspend Charter rights through a vote of representative assem<br > blies һ !<br > The Charter of Rights and Freedoms gained the approval of all provin<br > cial premiers except Quebecs Ren6 L6vesque whointent on preserving the<br > province7S French Languageculture and legal systeminsisted on addif<br > tional guarantees that could be translated into a special status within the}<br > federationAt the close of the 1 980sthe Meech Lake Accordenneered<br > by provincial premiers meeting in closed sessionincluded adistinct<br > societ)7 concession for QuebecIt failedhoweverto satisfy a strain of i<br > rising nationalism in the French provinceand it distressed many western<br > Canadians who interpreted the clause as one that Quebec might use to gain l<br > special privilegesThe West7s fears were partially confirmed when Quebec}<br > invoking the notwithstanding clauserefused to comply with a Supreme}<br > Court ruling that its language laws offended civil liberties }<br > The discredited Meech Lake Accord has since been superseded(SepI<br > tember 1 991)by a new plan to keep Canada uniteditself a reaction to the l<br > National Assembly of Quebecs startling Bill 150which promised a pro1<br > 1<br >