Leeder,

Your statement, "Quebec, just to be difficult, refused to sign the Constitution (although it was adopted in the rest of the country according to the amending formula), and things like the Charter of Rights and Freedoms have no formal effect in Quebec," is incorrect.

Despite the fact that Quebec's provincial government has not signed the constitution, the Constitution of Canada, including the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, is fully in effect here in Quebec.

There have been many court cases in Quebec that have used the Charter. Also, in 1989, the Quebec provincial governmnet invoked the constitutional "notwithstanding clause" to temporarily override the Charter with its language laws (since amended to conform with the Charter).

Despite the fact that Quebec's provincial government did not sign the Constitution, it should be noted that 74 of Quebec's 75 members of the federal Parliament did vote their approval and that public opinion polls at the time showed that a vast majority of the public here in Quebec did support patriation.

It should also be noted that the two federal politicians most responsible for bringing the Constitution back to Canada, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Justice Minister Jean Chretien, were both members of Parliament from Quebec ridings.

Mike Regenstreif