Mulroney Facing Crisis Over Quebec, Aide’s Resignation

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was embroiled in the worst crisis of his six years in power Tuesday after his top Quebec minister resigned in a dispute over French-speaking Quebec’s future in Canada.

Environment Minister Lucien Bouchard, who was the leader of Mulroney’s pivotal Quebec caucus, quit the Cabinet on Monday after sending a telegram hailing this week’s 10th anniversary of Quebec’s separatist referendum.

Bouchard said he quit because attempts to re-negotiate the Meech Lake Accord bringing Quebec into the constitution were an insult and humiliating to his province.

Last week, Francois Gerin resigned in protest over the constitutional impasse and predicted that others in the 61-member Quebec caucus would follow. Mulroney’s Conservatives now hold 164 seats in the 295-seat House of Commons.

Bouchard, along with other Quebec members, are angry over the process to bring their province into Canada’s 1982 constitution.

Mulroney forged the so-called Meech Lake accord in 1987 to amend the constitution and recognize Quebec as a “distinct society.” However, the deal appears to be dying as three of the 10 provinces refuse to ratify it by the June 23 deadline unless there are changes.

Among other things, they are worried that Quebec is being given too much power at the expense of other regions.

Mulroney now has to contain a potential rebellion within his government that threatens not only to derail his constitutional plans but also to seriously destabilize his government.