【Supplementary Reading】
The following is an excerpt from“A Time for Action”，a document issued by the Canadian government in 1978 discussing why it was important to replace the British North American Act of 1867 with a new Canadian Constitution，which the country proceeded to do in 1982.The part printed below is taken from Chapter II⁃Affirmation of Canadian Identity.
The Canadian Model
These successive migrations transplanted in Canadian soil the values of great civilizations.We therefore share with the societies from which we originally came or with which we interact，such as the United States，universal values，and others which are more particular.But the synthesis which we have made of these values is highly original：with the passage of time and the required adaptation to distinctive realities，these values have acquired specific Canadian characteristics.
These values motivate our behavior as individuals and determine our personality as a country.They govern the relationships among the different groups in Canada and determine the character of our social institutions.They define the form of our government and prescribe the rules governing our political institutions.They shape our aspirations，forge our ideals and provide direction for our future.In short，these values determine what we may legitimately call，without undue pride but also without false modesty，the Canadian model.This synthesis of Canadian values is not fixed or unchangeable and hopefully will never be so.Canada is not a closed or rigid society—quite the contrary，the dynamism which it draws from its openness and diversity，as well as its continuing development and progress，bring a perpetual process of renewal to the Canadian People.
There are times when our value system changes almost imperceptibly as a result of the trimming，pruning and grafting spontaneously practiced on it by Canadians.But there are other times when the Canadian model must be updated in a more explicit way，through conscious and persistent efforts.We have now entered such a period of deliberate reappraisal，comparable in many ways to the troubled times in the last century which preceded Confederation.
Values We Must Share
The renewal of the Federation requires first of all that we become aware of the values which we need to share，regardless of the community to which we belong or the region where we live.
This country，which Jean Talon already called Canada three centuries ago，has molded us and has made us much more alike than we generally think.With our tendency to emphasize our distinctive characteristics as members of one linguistic community or another，or inhabitants of one region or another，we must often be reminded by foreigners how much we have in common.We are all too prone to reduce culture to language or ethnic origin and，consequently，to underestimate the cultural values which we share.
Can there be a Canadian，for example，whose outlook has not been deeply marked by the stretches of seemingly infinite space—the high seas of our maritime regions，the boundless horizons of our prairies，the endless unfolding of the St.Lawrence Valley，the limitless reaches of our Great Lakes?We all feel the call of the north，“a window which opens out on the infinite，on the potential，on the future”，the French academician AndréSiegfried noted some 40 years ago.We all have similar perceptions of nature and of the relationship between man and his environment;for the brute force of nature is more evident and man’s dominion over nature more precarious in this country than elsewhere.Canadian art and literature bear abundant witness to these cultural traits，whichever language they may be expressed in，whatever may be their region of origin.
We also share a great number of social and economic values.Our spirit is North American.We all believe in the pre⁃eminence and fundamental freedoms of the individual citizen，in equal opportunity for all，in democratic values and respect for the rule of law.Canadians also believe in the dynamics of individual enterprise，in the effective use of government institutions to serve our collective development，and in the sharing of the country’s wealth and income among individuals and regions.New and constant efforts are needed to achieve a better integration of these values in Canadian society，and the renewal of the Federation provides an opportunity to make further progress in this direction.We may be of different minds as to the means to be used，but we have no difficulty in agreeing on overall goals since a national consensus truly exists in these areas.
However，other values must also be enshrined in our national consensus.They concern language equality，cultural diversity，the dignity of our native peoples and the self⁃development of our various regions.The current crisis demands that we make the efforts necessary to entrench these values and to accept their practical consequences.
Basically，all that is required of us in this connection is to accept that what we ask for ourselves be extended to others.We all assert our right to speak the official language which is ours by birth or by choice，and to deal with government institutions in that language.We all insist on our right to preserve our cultural heritage and to seek the assistance of governments in doing so.We all wish to see our regions develop in their own way，and expect to be able to choose，with those among our fellow Canadians who are closest to us，the lifestyle which we prefer.
The renewal of the Federation must lead to the recognition by each of us that all other Canadians have，in these areas，aspirations similar to our own.In the name of the diversity which we call upon to justify our own enjoyment of individual and collective freedoms，we must accept that these freedoms be extended to all other Canadians and that they be given the means to exercise these liberties.
We must go a little further：not only to accept that other Canadians and their communities are different from our own and want to stay that way;but also to respect them for what they are.There can be no place in a renewed Canada for arrogant，domineering or contemptuous attitudes toward this or that community.Friendship，solidarity and respect among our different communities are essential values of the Canadian identity.Dedication to these values will enable us to achieve much more than the mere survival to which our more pessimistic thinkers would limit us;we will be able to grow，to develop，to fulfill our great potential.
（To be continued at the end of chapter 14）