APO AE 09213-1315
November 1, 1995
The Right Honorable Jean Chretien
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons, Room 309
Wellington Street
Ottowa, Canada K1 A0 A6
Dear Mr. Prime Minister:
As an American neighbor (with many close life-long Canadian friends) and over thirty years experience as an American diplomat, I was pleased to learn that we still have a single friendly neighbor sharing the continent to the north.
My wife and I are just packing up for our next posting to Geneva, which brought me to sorting through a stack of old papers I have written over the years on a variety of economic and political topics. I found a couple or three have gone missing. And after asking friends, family, and colleagues to sort without success through materials I'd sent them over the years, I finally sat down the other day to recap my views on Rap, Rhyme, and Reason; Mates, Metiers, & TV Personalities; and The Corporate State Revisited -- the latter written some thirty years ago in a graduate seminar. In recapitulating what I remember of my thinking in connection with the last paper, I found it useful to introduce some of intervening events which, as I choose to believe, make the paper even more relevant than when it was first drafted. To be sure, it has become even more politically incorrect perhaps, to dredge up Mussolini's and Franco's notions of the Corporate State. But there is at least the element in the paper drawn from the thinking of the pre-Civil War American Senator John Calhoun (who political scientists say made the only original contribution to political theory from the Western Hemisphere) -- proposing a veto by any "substantial minority" over legislation affecting their deeply held contrary views.
I shared a version of the still extant paper with Prime Minister Botha of South Africa a number of years ago, and have reason to believe it may have helped his thinking in creating a separate chamber to represent the Coloreds in S.A. I will always consider it a pity that the ANC couldn't be placated by accepting a third chamber for Blacks. Haven't taken time (nor do I have the detailed knowledge) to try to apply these notions to your situation with respect to Quebec. But I'm convinced that somewhere between the notions of multiple votes (to give weight to education and property -- something we could do with more of in facing our run-away social programs in the USA), a delaying power in Lords, and an outright veto on changes which Quebec (or any other Province) might feel threatening to their social, economic, or ethnic situation, there may be some ideas you might find useful in considering modifications to your Constitution in order to hold Canada together over the long haul.
As a closing note: My kids grew up and were all educated in France, and when we first took them to Canada to visit friends in their early teens, both girls immediately declared that when they grew up they wanted to live in Canada: just American enough to feel at home, just French enough for comfort. The drive across the Canadian National Highway was impressive. Our visit to the Mountie Museum fascinating. Our stay at Banff outstanding. Jasper unbelievable. And Waterton incredible.
With all best wishes for success in the challenges which lie ahead, I remain, Sincerely yours,
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