Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs

The "Canadian Annual Review" has become an indispensable reference over the years. This is its twenty-first edition covering the events of 1980 and presenting an astute appraisal of the most important developments.It was the year of the 'second coming' of Pierre Trudeau in February, ending the nine-month interval of Conservative government, and it was a year of political confrontation between the provinces and Ottawa. Although the 'No' vote in the referendum in May set back the hopes of Premier Levesque and the Parti quebecois for independence, Quebec separatism remained a leading issue, and the growth of separatist movements in the west and the ansense of western representatives in the new federal government reflected the sense of alienation there. Federal proposals for reforming the constitution were opposed by a majority of provincial premiers, and Alberta and Newfoundland were in conflict with Ottawa over the issues of jurisdiction and pricing of natural resources. For the whole country, economic stagnation, unemployment, inflation, and climbing interest rates were crucial problems and further exacerbated federal-provincial relations.Professor Byers and his contributors subject all these matters to a searchingscrutiny. In addition, as in previous editions, they provide an account of the legislative sessions, party developments, and economic affairs at the national and provincial levels, and Professors Fred Lazar and David Layton-Brown respectively analyse the national economy and external affairs. The 1980 issue thus continues the tradition in providing both a responsible analysis of the main developments and a concise and convenient record of the year's events.