The Road to Patriation

It took over a century of haggling by successive federal and provincial governments to agree on a formula to bring home the Canadian Constitution from England. This film concentrates on the politicking and lobbying that finally led to its patriation in 1982. Five prime ministers had failed before Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau took up the challenge in the early 1970s. Principal players in this documentary are federal Minister of Justice Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister Trudeau, ten provincial premiers and a host of journalists, politicians, lawyers, and diplomats on both sides of the Atlantic. The film examines the motives of some of the chief actors in this important historical event.