June 23, 1990 - Elijah Harper - a podcast by Stephen Hammond

Aboriginal Manitoba MLA Elijah Harper stops controversial Meech Lake Accord. In 1981, the Canadian federal and provincial governments agreed to take control of their own constitution, find a way to amend it, and put into place the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Quebec, however, refused to sign. When Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney came to office in 1984, he promised to include Quebec by amending the constitution. In early June 1987, at Meech Lake, Quebec, the prime minister and all the provincial premiers agreed on a set of amendments that would satisfy Quebec. The Meech Lake Accord would take effect if ratified by all governments by June 23, 1990. Quebec was the first to ratify the accord, but debate raged elsewhere about the provision giving Quebec a “distinct society” status within Canada. Canada’s aboriginal population worried that this would interfere with their own rights. As the deadline loomed, political parties came to agreements and public hearings proliferated in an attempt to win unanimous consent of the legislature. All that was scuttled when on June 23, 1990, aboriginal NDP MLA Elijah Harper refused to consent to extending the hours of the legislature, effectively killing the accord and reminding Canadians of the aboriginal voice, so often ignored. Today, Harper is well regarded by foes of the Meech Lake Accord, while many aboriginal Canadians consider him a hero.

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