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Council for Canadian Unity |
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| St. Albert, Alberta, Thursday, March 30, 2006, by : Jared Milne | ||||||
| In an extremely ill-advised move, the Conservative government is all but abolishing the Council for Canadian Unity by cancelling its funding. About $13 milllion of the organization's $16 million budget is provided by the federal government, and without that money the Council, though they intend to continue, won't be able to do its work
Far from being only concerned with the Québec sovereignty issue, engaging in other activities such as student exchanges to build understanding among Canadian youth, studying various national issues such as the place of aboriginal peoples in Canada, getting more women involved in politics, integrating immigrant peoples into Canadian society, and the ramifications of electoral reform are all part of its activities. The Council's year-end Portraits of Canada series also offers an excellent barometer of what Canadians are thinking. The Council, created in 1964 under the Pearson government has provided discussion and a better understanding of federalism.There are precious few forums where Canadians can discuss these issues in a civilized and relatively friendly manner. We need every one of them in times like these. No clear reason has been given why Canada is losing this valuable asset for unity. It is to be hoped the Harper government will be pressed to reconsider its decision to strip federal funding from the Council by Liberal and NDP Members of Parliament and by Conservative MP's concerned about maintaining Canada's integrity as a nation. Needless to say the Bloc welcomes the severe reduction in the Council activities and is fully supportive. |
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| Reference: | ||||||
Authier, Philip, Council for Canadian Unity 'not going to roll over and die' March 29, 2006, The Montreal Gazette (PDF) |
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