The Queen made it official, visiting Ottawa to surrender the last vestige of British control over Canadian affairs. For a while, it looked as if the Falkland Islands might delay her visit, but, in the event, Canada finally got its own made-in-Canada Constitution.
The actual ceremony was anti-climactic, because nearly the entire country, with the exception of Prime Minister Trudeau, had long since turned its attention to more pressing matters, such as inflation, unemployment, recession, and Wayne Gretzky. Although Mr. Trudeau hymned the Constitution as the final brick in nation-building, in fact the national edifice is showing serious cracks that can’t be papered over. Within months, some major shocks are probable.
Comments