If anyone was wondering why this blog became less active in 2007, the answer in part is that I was helping to organize this conference, which took place last Thursday to Saturday in Québec City. It was a major project involving endless hours of work for more than a year by a team of about 15 people from McGill and Laval University law schools.
And we weren't disappointed:
QUEBEC - In a heated and emotional debate yesterday about the patriation of the Constitution in 1982, the former chief of staff of Jean Chrétien, Eddie Goldenberg, accused former Quebec premier Bernard Landry of comparing Pierre Elliott Trudeau to Adolf Hitler.In his speech delivered to law students in Quebec City, Mr. Landry quoted the late Liberal prime minister and driving force behind the patriation of the Constitution as saying at the time: "This Constitution will last 1,000 years."
Mr. Landry, a founder of the Parti Québécois, added: "He drew inspiration, I am afraid, from one of the most horrible people of western history and I don't need to say his name."
When it was Mr. Goldenberg's turn to talk, he bluntly accused Mr. Landry of drawing a parallel between Mr. Trudeau and Hitler. The notorious Nazi ruler had promised to lead the German people into a Reich, or empire, that would last 1,000 years.
"When he used a quote from Trudeau to compare him with Adolf Hitler, I found that absolutely disgusting and I wish he would apologize to the Trudeau family," said Mr. Goldenberg, author of an insider account of federal politics titled The Way it Works.
This was without question the climax moment of the conference. I was sitting in the front row, and Landry's face was so red during Goldenberg's take-down that at one point it looked like Landry would either get up and bolt out of the room, or sock Goldenberg in the face.
Of the many things that came out of this conference, one of main ones, in my view, was the need to put the 1982 constitutional era and the personalities involved in it behind us. The bitterness surrounding what happened is still palpable and healing is basically impossible amongst those who participated.
More comments on the conference later.
