Peoples, Nation, and Regions

National Unity in the Aftermath of the 2019 Federal Election

Speakers:

Dr. Loleen Berdahl, Professor and Head of Political Studies, University of Saskatchewan
Dr. Andrew Parkin, Executive Director. Environics Institute for Survey Research
Dr Arjun Tremblay, Assistant Professor, Politics and International Studies, University of Regina
Kathy Walker, Lecturer, Political Studies, University of Saskatchewan

The results of the 2019 federal election appear to leave the country deeply divided. The government caucus includes no representatives from Saskatchewan and Alberta, while the Bloc Québécois re-emerged to form the third-largest party in the House of Commons. While the election campaign featured some discussion of Indigenous issues, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, in many the cases these discussions only served to highlight the paucity of clear commitments to action.

Do the results of the 2019 federal election presage a new national unity crisis? Or are the regional divisions in the country over-stated? Are Canadians able to re-cast the traditional framing of national unity debates to include the concept of reconciliation between themselves and Indigenous Peoples?

Join is for a lively discussion of these issues, informed by the presentation of the key findings of the Confederation of Tomorrow 2019 Survey of Canadians. The Survey has informed three reports* on Canadians' attitudes to the federation, covering regional and national identity, regional alienation, Quebec sovereignty, the division of powers in areas such as energy and climate change, and relations with Indigenous Peoples. The presentation will highlight the views of Saskatchewanians, and will be followed by a panel of discussion among some of Saskatchewan's leading experts on the prospects for national unity in 2020 and beyond.