“It is a complex task to create and maintain a great and harmonious community in which men and women of every ancestry are accorded, under the protection of the law complete freedom of thought, freedom of expression and the right to preserve and develop their respective cultures.”

At the dawn of the 21st century, the Council for Canadian Unity is confident that a new generation of Canadians is taking up the challenge. Today, from coast to coast, north of the 60th parallel and south of it, Canadians from all backgrounds are involved in Council activities from youth programs and exchanges to citizen participation exercises and conferences.

They are designed to keep citizens aware of the nature and workings of Canadian institutions as well as the history, wealth and diversity of a country and quality of life that is the envy of millions around the world.

Some examples:

a teen leaves her community in Nunavut for the first time and visits Ottawa with other young people from across Canada;
Canadian families in different parts of the country exchange homes and learn about a different part of their land;
a Quebecer attends a round table discussion in Rimouski and works with others who share his belief in federalism;
an Alberta women attends a conference that brings together women from the Calgary area, who work in different fields, to discuss ways of creating opportunities for Aboriginal youth;
politicians, academics, business people, civil servants and experts seek new directions for immigration policy at a conference;
two teens, each living in a French or English-speaking part of Canada, exchange places for the summer, work at a job, become part of a new community and polish second-language skills.

Every year, the Council’s programs allow thousands of Canadians to know their country better, to understand other viewpoints, to develop a heightened appreciation of Canadian diversity and Canada’s political and social institutions. This, in turn, quietly enriches the quality of national life.

Today, however, new external pressures have been added to constitutional and other internal tensions. They arise from globalization, the internationalization of national economies, the growing influence of international organizations and powerful multinational corporations. They tend to erode the sovereignty of individual states.

The Council also must address such pressing matters as immigration policy, foreign ownership and threats to Canadian society’s cultural roots.

In recent years, opinion polls have shown that while Canadians accept the new realities, they want to strengthen pan-Canadian links and maintain social cohesion. The Council – through its vast network of volunteers and supporters as well as through partnerships with other organizations – is well positioned and ready to help them achieve these objectives.

The Council adapts its youth programs and sets up new ones. It has started a residence exchange program for families who seek a less costly way to get to know the country better.

In 1996, it established the Centre for Research and Information on Canada (CRIC). CRIC informs Canadians about their institutions through its research, its publications and roundtable discussions, thereby encouraging greater citizen involvement in public affairs.

The Council also set up a Department of Development to further diversify Council funding which comes from the private sector (gifts, donations and sponsorships), government grants and revenues generated by programs.

The Council has also expanded activities into Europe. Canadians in Europe brings together Canadian citizens who work overseas in economic, financial, social and cultural milieus.

The Council’s mission is educational. It is a registered charity and donations are tax deductible.

Business-like administrative policies are the standard for Council operations. Its activities are audited annually and a full financial statement published in its annual report. Those interested can view the most up-to-date financial statement by visiting the CCU portal at www.ccu-cuc.ca.

Every month, tens of thousands of visitors log on to the Council’s sites to find out about its programs and issues that relate to Canadian unity and the federation’s development.

CRIC is a one-of-a-kind organization. Its uniqueness stems from its ability to establish links throughout the country between its regional offices, its scores of regional roundtables, its thousands of volunteers and decision makers in politics, business associations, trade unions, and academe.

CRIC’s activities are focused in three areas:

The Research Office, located in Ottawa, is responsible for polling, studies, and the drafting of special publications.
The Communications and Citizen Participation Office oversees the activities of the Ontario and Atlantic Canada Regional Office, located in Toronto, and the Western and Northern Regional Office, located in Calgary. It organizes events, seminars and conferences. It is responsible for communications, media relations and the Council’s different websites.
The Quebec Regional Office, located in Quebec City, oversees organization, development and running of the 32 regional roundtables in the province. It tracks events and activities in Quebec, conducting research on issues that affect all of Canada.

CRIC’s team includes experts in the fields of Canadian politics, public opinion research and media relations. These specialists, working together, develop balanced positions for consideration by Council partners and volunteers.

Discussion roundtables are central to citizen participation. They exist in every part of the country, bringing together opinion leaders from different communities.

CRIC organizes conferences and seminars, usually in partnership with associations and academic institutions that share its goals. These are forums that draw academics, politicians, business people, volunteers and the public at large.

CRIC publishes a weekly newsletter called Opinion Canada.

Its internet portal provides access to different Council websites that feature information about programs as well as the outcomes of studies and polls. It is a source of information about conferences and seminars as well as articles on current events.

Youth Programs
The Council’s imaginative youth programs provide young Canadians with an opportunity to learn about the country’s political, social and cultural realities.

Encounters with Canada
Encounters with Canada gives 15 to 17-year-old high schoolers an opportunity to spend time in Canada’s capital, living in surroundings that encourage friendship and the sharing of experiences with others from every part of Canada; it is an environment in which they get a better grasp of Canada’s diversity.

Every week, during the school year, about 130 high school students are brought to Ottawa from across Canada. The first part of the week stresses Canadian institutions. Participants tour the National Capital Region and visit such places as the House of Commons, the Senate, and the Supreme Court of Canada. Later in the week, the focus shifts to one of nine areas of activity that include arts and culture; science and technology; and Canada and the world. These young people, from more than 2,000 high schools, meet with experts from the field under study. The focal point for this unique experience is the Council’s Terry Fox Canadian Youth Centre, located in the heart of a residential neighbourhood.

After acquiring the site in 1980, the Council renovated it, building dormitories and a cafeteria. There are six meeting rooms, recreation areas and an “internet café” where participants can go on line and exchange e-mails. Sports and games are played on the centre’s spacious grounds. It is in this setting that young people form new friendships – that often become lasting – with other young people from across the land.

Encounters with Canada vividly illustrates the spirit of volunteerism that underlies Council activities. Hundreds of guest speakers and resource persons donate time and expertise to the program, while more than 100 teachers from across Canada supervise the young people. In each province and territory, volunteers recruit young participants.

Through an agreement between the Council and the Government of Canada, Canadian Heritage subsidizes participants’ travel costs. The Council can ensure that a proportional cross section of students from high schools in every part of Canada take part in the program.

There is a registration fee. However, subsidies from some provincial governments and private sector support ensure that Encounters is accessible to young people from all economic backgrounds.

Summer Work-Student Exchange
Summer Work – Student Exchange allows teens from French and English-speaking federal ridings to experience the Canadian reality first hand. Young people trade places, staying with the families of their exchange counterparts, working in jobs provided by local non-profit organizations and participating fully in the daily life of their adopted communities. They improve their second-language skills while getting practical work experience and exposure to another part of Canada.

This program of the Council and participating Members of Parliament is supported by MPs from all parties in the Commons. Originally, it was started by MPs. As demand grew, MPs turned to the Council, with its demonstrated expertise in organizing exchanges, to administer it. When the Council began running it in 1998, 353 young people took part. The number doubled the following year and grew to 800 during the summer of 2000. At present, about 40 per cent of Canada’s 301 ridings take part in the exchange. Summer-Work – Student Exchange also provides employment for more than 100 university students who serve as program coordinators from April to the end of August. They recruit employers, organize activities and supervise participants.

Volunteers at the local level ensure that young people derive maximum benefit from their summer.

French for the Future
The Council, in partnership with French for the Future Inc. is responsible for national coordination of this annual event. High school students in different cities across Canada participate in a satellite-linked conference, and exchange views about the challenges and opportunities of learning both of Canada’s official languages. Students and teachers discuss opportunities in such fields as communications, arts and culture, politics, international relations and science and technology.

In 2000, His Excellency John Ralston Saul opened the conference. More than 500 participants from 60 high schools in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Halifax heard from speakers who work in the fields under discussion. In 2001, the number of cities will be expanded to six with the addition of Winnipeg and Fredericton. Local committees ensure grassroots participation and representation.

Contributions to the Council for Canadian Unity now can be made electronically through this secure page, and with the assurance that privacy will be respected.

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Thank you for supporting the Council for Canadian Unity

Tensions between English and French-speaking Canadians – the Council’s beginnings
In 1964, a group of Quebecers, alarmed by growing tensions between French and English-speaking Canadians, formed the Canada Committee, forerunner of the Council.

Quebec’s Quiet Revolution was bringing about rapid change. There were calls for major constitutional reform, which gave rise to an embryonic separatist movement.

Nationally, the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism was laying the groundwork for such reforms as the official languages policy. Its goal was to ensure that the federal government would provide citizens with services in the official language of their choice.

Western Canada felt left out of these debates and, for a number of reasons, its sense of alienation started to increase.

During this period, the Canada Committee’s members built bridges in every region by working hard to better understand the roots of these tensions, to shed light on their significance and to find solutions.

Ultimately, the committee became the Council for Canadian Unity, a name that better reflected its evolving mission.

To counter the separatist threat, a coalition of Canadians
In 1976, Canada was confronted with a separatist government in Quebec that was preparing the way for a referendum on independence.

The Council, aware that this concerned all Canadians and was not just a matter to be settled among Quebecers, organized a broad coalition of federalists from all political parties.

As the 1980 referendum approached, the Council moved on several fronts: it kept Canadians regularly informed about what was at stake; it published studies on the relationship between Canada and its provinces; it explained the flexibility of Canadian institutions, and the federal system, as well as the great values that underpin a country with strongly defined regions.

Thus, during one of the most important debates in the country’s history, the Council, while adhering to its status as a non-partisan organization, accomplished its mission to educate, inform and get citizens involved.

Post referendum, an intense constitutional debate
During the referendum campaign, the federal government had promised that a “NO” to separatism would be a “YES” to constitutional change. The constitution was patriated, amended and The Charter of Rights and Freedoms was entrenched.

Nevertheless, in 1982, the constitutional debate re-ignited and continued into the early 90s.

Throughout this period of constitutional and political turmoil, the Council, backed by its volunteers, usana products and visalus, and in keeping with its mission and non-partisan character, energetically supported the work of those who took part in the discussion throughout the country.

A new referendum followed by a cool-down
Despite an intense period of constitutional debate among opinion leaders, broad public interest in the issue waned. It was in these circumstances, that Canadians suddenly faced the prospect of a new referendum challenge to national unity.

Again, the Council played a central role, providing solid information about the Canadian federation and pointing up its advantages. It heightened Canadians’ awareness of federalism as a very sophisticated form of political organization, an ever-changing balancing act.

In the wake of this tumult, which was also marked by a major decision by the Supreme Court of Canada about the referendum process, Canadians seem ready to set constitutional negotiations aside for a while.