#1 Patriation: “Night of the Long Knives” or National Triumph?

In November 1981, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and 9 provincial premiers approved an extensive package of constitutional reforms without the consent of Quebec, setting Canada up for more than a decade of political wrangling over its Constitution.

This series is produced by the Centre for Constitutional Studies, which is located at the University of Alberta in Edmonton on Treaty 6 territory. The Centre acknowledges and honours the ancestors, traditions, and the spirit that first drew Indigenous peoples — the Cree, Blackfoot, Metis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Salteaux, Inuit and then settlers — to this gathering place. The Centre, the University, and I enjoy the benefits of Treaty, and the Centre recognizes that land acknowledgement is only a very small step in recognizing and upholding Treaty.