Canada Unity In Diversity

December 1983.

This document examines the historical, political and geographical status of Canada, its distribution of power, the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement of 1989, and Canada's relations with the United States. The Meech Lake accord, a proposal designed to establish Quebec more firmly under the constitutional umbrella by granting the province distinct society status, is analyzed. Should the accord fail to be adopted, the separatists may gain power and tensions increase between the Quebecois and the English-speaking majority with serious implications for U.S.-Canadian relations. The document contains illustrations, questions for students and discussion groups, and an annotated reading list. (NL).

The principal aim of this book is to revisit the basic theme of “unity and diversity” that remains at the heart of research into federalism and federation. It is time to take another look at its contemporary relevance to ascertain how far the bifocal relationship between unity and diversity has evolved over the years and has been translated into changing conceptual lenses, practical reform proposals and in some cases new institutional practices.

In Diversity and Unity in Federal Countries, leading scholars and practitioners analyse the current political, socio-economic, spatial, and cultural diversity in the countries under consideration before delving into the role that social, historical, and political factors have had in shaping the balance of diversity and unity. The authors assess the value placed on diversity by examining whether present institutional arrangements and public policies restrict or enhance diversity and address the future challenges of balancing diversity and unity in an increasingly populated and mobile world.

Canadian Multiculturalism @50 offers a critically-informed overview of Canada’s official multiculturalism against a half-century of successes and failures, benefits and costs, contradictions and consensus, and criticism and praise. Admittedly, not a perfect governance model, but one demonstrably better than other models.

The Interdisciplinary Research Seminar, developed by Professor Nicolas A. Nyiri of the Political Science Department, was initiated three years ago. The purpose has been to encourage and foster interdisciplinary research papers and colloquia which are now being published under the editorship of Professor N.A. Nyiri and Dr. Rod Preece. Contributors have been drawn from several centres and it is planned to expand the sources of papers in the future. The work that has been accomplished has served to bring scholars from diverse fields together and to encourage others to share in the exploration and expansion of critical thinking in a number of areas. It is expected that the publication of the first volume will open the way to an ever-widening interest in this core area of a university's life: critical thinking and dissemination of the knowledge gained. – From the foreword by Dr. Neale Tayler, Vice-President Academic, Wilfrid Laurier University

These lively, timely, and accessible dialogues on federal systems provide the reader with highlights of each topic, serving as an entry point to the corresponding book, which offers a more in depth, comprehensive exploration of the theme. Whether you are a student or teacher of federalism, working in the field of federalism, or simply interested in the theme, these booklets are an insightful and informative analysis of the topic at hand in each of the featured countries. Booklet 7 examines the balance of diversity and unity in the following federal or federal-type countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Nigeria, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States of America. Contributors include Nicholas Aroney (University of Queensland, Australia), Balveer Arora (Jawaharlal Nehru University, India), Petra Bendel (Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany), Irina Busygina (Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Russia), César Colino (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain), Frank Delmartino (Institute of International and European Policy, Belgium), Hugues Dumont (Facultés Universitaires Saint-Louis, Belgium), Marcus Faro de Castro (Brasília University, Brazil), Assefa Fiseha (Ethiopian Civil Service College, Ethiopia), Thomas Fleiner (University of Fribourg, Switzerland), Alain-G. Gagnon (Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada), Mohammed Habib (Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia), Andreas Heinemann-Grüder (University of Bonn, Germany), Maya Hertig (University of Geneva, Switzerland), John Kincaid (Lafayette College, USA), Gilberto Marcos Antonio Rodrigues (Catholic University of Santos, Brazil), Luis Moreno (Spanish National Research Council, Spain), Richard Simeon (University of Toronto, Canada), Roland Sturm (Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany), Rotimi T. Suberu (Bennington College, USA), and Sébastien Van Drooghenbroeck (Facultés Universitaires Saint-Louis, Belgium).