PM tries to keep lid on constitutional can of worms opened by Couillard
OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau moved quickly Thursday to slam the lid on a constitutional can of worms opened by Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, who unveiled a plan to eventually secure recognition of his province’s distinctiveness in the Constitution.
“You know my opinion on the Constitution,” the prime minister said as he arrived on Parliament Hill for a cabinet meeting.
“We’re not reopening the Constitution.”
That blunt, unequivocal response came even before Couillard formally launched an initiative aimed at encouraging dialogue about Quebec’s role in the federation, with the eventual goal of reopening the Constitution to meet the province’s long-standing conditions for formally signing on to the highest law of the land.