Canada

Index

Canada Main Page
Canada Wins the Right to Self-Government and Welcomes English-Speaking Immigrants
French-Speaking Contigent Gains More Political Power
Conservative Government Signs Free-Trade Pact with the United States
Jean Chretien of the Liberal Party Comes to Power
Marijuana and Gay Marriage Legalized
Conservative Stephen Harper Becomes Prime Minister, Striving for a Blow Against Terrorism
Fourth Election in Seven Years Expands Conservative Party's Hold

Conservative Government Signs Free-Trade Pact with the United States

In the national election on Sept. 4, 1984, the Progressive Conservative Party scored an overwhelming victory, fundamentally changing the country's political landscape. The Conservatives, led by Brian Mulroney, won the highest political majority in Canadian history. The dominant foreign issue was a free-trade pact with the United States, a treaty bitterly opposed by the Liberal and New Democratic parties. The conflict led to elections in Nov. 1988 that solidly reelected Mulroney and gave him a mandate to proceed with the agreement.

The issue of separatist sentiments in French-speaking Quebec flared up again in 1990 with the failure of the Meech Lake Accord. The accord was designed to bring Quebec into the constitution while easing its residents' fear of losing their identity within the English-speaking majority by giving it status as a “distinct society.”