Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 6, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba 4 Winnipeg free november 1981 solutions to Constitution pact come dump continued from Page 1 Cial sources sketched this initial Pic Ture As the Compromise emerged d As the gang of eight premiers huddled at the chateau Laurier tues Day afternoon to consider accepting a charter of rights in return for their favored amending Trudeau and his two original allies William Davis of Ontario and Richard Hatfield of new Brunswick met with their officials at the conference sources say there was a lot of heavy Legal talk about a Nono Stante clause part of the eventual Solu Tion which would let provinces Over ride sections of the rights Don wednesday Mcmurtry and Romanow met in an other this time just Down the Hall from the fifth floor boardroom where the leaders were they explored earlier but their initiatives were sidetracked by Trudeau Surprise quickly embraced by Quebec Rene to submit the amending formula and rights charter to a d the conference came close to col lapsing wednesday afternoon As most premiers rejected the Al Bertas Peter Lougheed was instrumental in convincing Trudeau to return for one More try yesterday d there were two meetings wednes Day Romanow and Kirby huddled in room at the four four blocks away at the chateau Blakeney was hosting another by he had been joined by John Buchanan of Nova Angus Maclean of Prince Edward Island and officials from Al Berta and British the pre Miers and their officials plugged away at a occasionally phoning Davis who in turn phoned d at some a Call was made to Manitoba Premier Sterling who had returned to Winnipeg earlier wednesday to resume campaigning for the 17 provincial the premiers turned in about leaving lawyers to clean up d by 8 the draft was ready for presentation at the breakfast meeting 1 of the gang of eight on the fourth floor of the chateau although he suspected something was Quebec Rene Levesque says that was the first he heard of the proposal cooked up by his seven we took it for granted that these people were of Good Faith and that if something was they would give us a said a Quebec offi the Only Call we had was to say there was a breakfast Levesque said the development leaves a certain bitterness and would make him reluctant to join Simi Lar alliances in the d Peckford emerged from the break fast meeting to Tell reporters he was the appropriate Man to offer a Solu Tion because As a new player he want constrained by old d shortly after 9 the final closed session i under stand you have a proposal to Trudeau is reported to have said to a few and an Effort to bring Levesque were made before the leaders came Down stairs to announce their Accord during a final televised continued from Page 1 the agreement has already brought on Strong besides leaving Quebec the charter of rights has been among other a clause has been inserted allowing Legislatures and parliament to override the Charters pro visions dealing with fundamental free Legal rights and Equality mobility which Ottawa touted As allowing people to work anywhere in the country they have been adjusted so Newfoundland and others with High unemployment can prevent outsiders from working in Well paid new industries such As offshore a clause has been dropped which had said that nothing abrogates whatever rights native people May have and Indian and Eskimo leaders last night were protesting Levesque had been left out of All night negotiations leading to the a the consequences will be in Calculi Levesque said after the agree ment was made he said the document was created in a truly Canadian Way a Way which has too often ignored i say this with a certain bitter he the proposal which broke the dead lock also was made without the involvement of Manitoba Premier Sterling Lyon who had returned to leaving attorney general Gerry Mer Cier in Peckford document it was based on a document presented by Newfoundland Premier Brian Peckford after representatives of Vari Ous provinces and the Federal govern ment discussed it and drafted it Over whose people were eating a late supper across the Ottawa River at hulls posh Auberge de la were Ontario Premier Bill Davis a key player in the negotiations and author of another leading Compromise propos said Trudeau demonstrated a willingness to Compromise that his critics would not have believed Davis said he wished Lyon had been i regret the absence of the Premier of Manitoba because i know he would want to be Davis Ster wherever you Good Luck in a few he added in an apparent reference to the 17 Manitoba Davis told Levesque he hoped the rest of the country could find the ways and the Means that your great prov Ince can be included in the agree echoing Trudeau who said the pact does not mean negotiation with Quebec is sad Day for Canada in contrast to the other premiers who saw yesterday As a historic Day for the Levesque said it was a sad one for Trudeau has deliberately Cho in order to obtain the support of English a proposal which reduces the Powers of our cards Are on the we Are asking the government to to give up the unilateral character of this action and to give up infringing on rights and Powers of the National Assembly in any respect because behind the National Assembly Are the people of he Levesque said Only a referendum would have complied with the mandate he brought to Ottawa from both Liberal and parti quebecois members of the National Levesque also confirmed yesterday that Trudeau had promised the Day before to go ahead with a referendum in two years if the talks failed and to delay implementation of the charter of rights pending results of the he said Trudeau did his Best to destroy the referendum if Trudeau was he could resist imposing upon us this which is still in a straightforward Effort to enlist wavering backbench Liberal maps in Ottawa and the Lone tory my from Levesque called upon All que Beers in Ottawa not to expedite a Resolution which will encroach upon new Brunswick Premier Richard Hatfield took exactly the opposite up photo to historic pact newfoundlands Peckford comments on Compromise Between As this country was born in com it will very its full maturity because of he Hatfield said the people of Quebec citizens rights not says Lyon have not been we will still continue to work with Quebec and the people of Mercier made a pitch for the country to get on to More pressing economic matters now that the Deal is on behalf of he asked Trudeau to get on to the serious eco nomic problems plaguing the including High interest there is an important Job to be done with respect to our and neither level of ment can do it he 1 Premier Bill Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed and Peckford said the new taken with the successful Energy show a new spirit of Compromise in the Bennett said he hoped a new spirit has entered the country and the bitter Ness which has marked the country for the last two or three years is Lougheed said the constitutional agreement and the Energy agreements should be used As a launching pad for dealing together with other i feel More fully a Canadian today than any Day since Ive been old enough to think and to try to under Peckford Given Energy agreements and the constitutional Canada could still fulfil former prime minister sir Wilfrid Laurier prediction and make the 20th Century Canadas Cen he Prince Edward Island Premier Angus Mclean likened the new Deal to a successful the Way the participants treat one another is often More important than what is written in the he Trudeau said it was the others who made the the final compromises were not of my he they were of the making of the premiers and minis ters around this Trudeau said he regrets that there is no provision in the new Deal for a referendum final Appeal to the sovereignty of the he said his other regret is to the people of Quebec whose government will not be a signatory to the agree he said he is still willing to the Constitution is not written in Stone for All and i Hope that in the weeks and months to come we will be Able to convince Quebec to treat their anglophone minorities equitably in the school Quebec chief disagreement was Over language rights aspects of the new continued from Page 1 Green said that other than the Only other advantage of yesterdays agree ment Between Trudeau and nine provinces is that now Stop talking about the Accord signed yesterday Calls for an amending formula and a charter of rights which allows provincial Legislatures to override the Federal Charters provisions dealing with fundamental Legal rights and Equality who has always opposed the pro posed charter of said this Means Trudeau has loss the Battle to gain an entrenched charter of he said the charter is now Only a declaration of despite Trudeau claim that it is i say there not were certainly satisfied that there not in we have agreed to them if they had been Lyon they can Call it what they if it makes somebody Down there have jollies to talk about an entrenched charter they can have All the jollies they i know that the clause going into it is such that it permits the government of Manitoba to override Lyon reiterated his belief in the supremacy of parliament which allows elected officials to legislate human rights rather than allowing the supreme court of Canada to interpret the meaning of an entrenched it the modified charter will not serve As his Trudeau first Model to turn this country upside Down and to move it towards an american he told reporters while campaigning yesterday in Pine Lyon also expressed regret that que Bec was the Only province which failed to agree to the ramifications i regret that this could not have been accomplished in such a Way As to not alienate he told a press ence late i can see ramifications Down the line which can be very unhelpful to Canadian he said that perhaps with More an agreement could have been worked out which would have satisfied he said its up to Trudeau now to heal the rift which has developed with que who left Ottawa wednesday to Lyon Victory for return to election campaigning left attorney general Gerry Mercier to negotiate the final Deal for the Only shame is that this want accomplished on Day it could have been accomplished last Lyon he said the amending proposal is basically the same As that proposed earlier this year by the Lyon said Manitoba lawyers will re main in Ottawa to Monitor the wording of the amended proposal and to ensure it does not change in nature before being passed by the House of we want to make sure there is no slip betwixt the cup and the the Premier said that with the Constitution out of the governments in Canada can now begin dealing with economic problems by calling a Feder a provincial conference on the i think Clearing the decks of the constitutional squabble now enables people to have some Hope that now the government of Canada will come to its senses and Call a meeting of the provinces with respect to the Economy immediately after the he the Federal budget is scheduled to be brought Down next commenting on the agreement soon after it was Pawley said he would have to wait for More detailed information before giving a Fuller assessment of the but he said the agreement itself will bring immediate positive re this Means that we can now concentrate on the Basic issues that con front the country and not just the cons Titu Lauchlan said he was personally relieved that the agreement appeared not to emasculate that very important the charter of he added that he preferred to ignore whether or not the agreement was a Victory for the Liberal great thing that what is important is that the agreement is a great thing for this country and this Green said that in virtually All re Canadas existing Constitution is better than the document which has now been he said his understanding is that clauses in the charter of rights will not been but will be subject to periodic approval by the provincial but who has been an opponent of an entrenched said he want sure How effectively the proposed system would if nothing it will mean an unsettled and unpredictable constitutional situation in coming he it will provide constitutional lawyers with a to employment and immigration minister Lloyd expressed satisfaction with the constitutional agree Axworthy said in a Telephone interview that he was particularly pleased with the inclusion of a mobility rights clause in the the modified by adding the right of a province to undertake affirmative action programs in areas of High can now be used As an economic tool by the government to Benefit the he As for Premier Rene Levesques refusal to sign the final Axworthy said he suspected the Premier had been really finding ways of creating difficulties All ;