The deal between French and English Canada to recognize Quebec as a ``distinct society'' and bring it back into the Constitution has bogged down in arguments over minority and women's rights and the future of the nation's political system. Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and other critics want last year's agreement scrapped. Trudeau, a leader in creating the nation's new Constitution in 1982, says the pact could lead to the breakup of Canada's federation of provinces. Others want the accord renegotiated. Women's groups, the country's 500,000 Indians and Eskimos, and language minorities in several provinces want their rights enshrined in the Constitution. The Northwest Territories and Yukon claim the deal makes it virtually impossible for them to become provinces. The accord's importance stems from Quebec's refusal to sign the 1982 Constitution because it failed specifically to protect the province's French culture. Despite all the critics, Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa thinks he can persuade the country to ratify the agreement, which was signed by the federal government and the 10 Canadian provinces a year ago at Meech Lake, Quebec. But his chief provincial ally, Ontario Premier David Peterson, says there's only a 50-50 chance. ``I wouldn't bet the family farm on it,'' he said recently. However, Peterson warned that ``the political consequences of not signing this could be very severe. ``It will be an enormous political risk for the country to refuse it. We don't need it to survive, but we do for political stability,'' he said. The risk of unrest isn't always apparent in Quebec. The mainly French-speaking province has evolved in the past decade from a bastion of French separatism into a prosperous society of 6.6 million people. The turning point was the rejection, by a 6-to-4 margin, of a 1980 referendum to open talks on a limited form of independence. Robert Maule, the U.S. consul general in Montreal, describes today's sprawling city of 2.9 million as one of entrepreneurs and yuppies, not political extremists. He said the 81-percent French-speaking majority feels more secure about its fate on an English-speaking continent. First posted here in 1976, Maule said: ``In those days, if you went into a store and said ``hello'' to someone, they'd glare at you. Now, if they greet you first in French, they apologize and say `hello' right back.'' Yet it doesn't take much to revive the old Anglo-French antagonisms. About 25,000 French Quebecers marched through the streets last month to proclaim the inviolability of the province's French-only language law. The protesters reacted after Bourassa wavered over an election promise to permit bilingual business signs and after two Western provinces diluted French minority rights. Today's French-speaking Quebecers, who number about 5 million, descend from settlers who followed on the heels of 16th and 17th century French explorers. Once called New France, Quebec came under British control after a defeat of French soldiers on the bank of the St. Lawrence River in 1759. All parties initially hailed Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's skillful negotiation of the Meech Lake accord, and the deal was ratified Oct. 26 by the House of Commons. The pact has been approved by four of 10 provinces: Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island. But with a June 1990 deadline for unanimous assent, New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna opposes the pact, a minority government in Manitoba lacks the votes to pass it, and four other provinces have delayed ratification. Meanwhile, the country's main opposition Liberal Party is sharply divided over Meech Lake and seeks amendments. In addition to the ``distinct society'' clause for Quebec, Meech Lake gives provinces new powers in the appointment of Supreme Court judges and senators and the right to opt out of national shared-cost programs. Trudeau says such a scenario could shatter the Canadian federation. Other critics say the phrase ``distinct society'' is ill-defined and will cause endless litigation over the division of federal and provincial powers. Mulroney says objections can be taken up at later constitutional talks. ``Meech Lake will pass the way it is. This is an undertaking we gave to the people of Canada and the people of Quebec,'' he said. But Peterson did not close the door to changes. ``I'm prepared to look at anything,'' he told reporters. This pledge upset Bourassa, who argued that unanimous consent for change is now impossible. He said native rights and other matters can be dealt with separately and that a constitutional provision requires consent from only seven provinces or those representing 50 percent of the population. ``In reopening the deal, they will kill the deal and keep Quebec outside the Constitution,'' he said.
