Abstract
Once again we are approaching one of those moments in Canada in which constitutional law becomes central to our politics. The fundamental cost of the current political crisis is its impact on the national unity of our country. Whenever the next election comes it might result in the failure of any of the federal parties to secure national representation in all our regions, particularly in Quebec. Professor Ignatieff takes issue with those who believe that politics does not need ideas and those who would avoid constitutional discussion. He believes the challenge to federalism should be met head on saying that Canada is the most successful and enduring multinational, multi-lingual liberal democratic federation on Earth and that Quebec has benefited and has not been threatened by federalist arrangements in Canada. Constitutional dialogue amongst regions and languages of Canada is an ongoing process and Professor Ignatieff argues that it is the very condition of our collective survival. Federalism survives not merely by rebutting calls for its destruction, but by re-inventing itself in the face of challenge.
Citation Information
Ignatieff, Michael.
"Keynote Address: Law and Politics in the Canadian Constitutional Tradition."
The Supreme Court Law Review: Osgoode’s Annual Constitutional Cases Conference
29.
(2005).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60082/2563-8505.1069
https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/sclr/vol29/iss1/3
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