Citizens' Assembly on the Future of Canadian Federalism, Kingston, June 2008, Thank you

On Saturday 14^th June 2008, sixteen Canadian citizens gathered in Kingston for a Citizens' Assembly on the Future of Canadian Federalism. Hosted by the Institute of Intergovernmental Relations at Queen's University, the aim of this Assembly was to offer the participants the opportunity to talk with three experts and other citizens about topics related to Canadian federalism.

Coming from Kingston and surrounding areas, but also from places as far as Ottawa and Bolton, the participants willingly engaged in very interesting discussions about Canadian identity (or identities), federal-provincial relations, multiculturalism, NAFTA, among several topics, and above all the future of Canadian federalism. Three very enlightening presentations were given by Peter Leslie (Queen's U.), Kathy Brock (Queen's U.), and Wolfgang Renzsch (University of Magdeburg, Germany).

I do thank all participants, experts, as well as the moderators and observers for participating in this Assembly and thus ensuring its success!

The Citizens' Assembly on the Future of Canadian Federalism was the third citizens' assembly of my PhD research after the Rencontre citoyenne sur le fédéralisme (Liège, September 2007) and the Assemblée citoyenne sur l'avenir du Québec (Montreal, March 2008). The next assembly will take place in Montreal this coming Thursday (June 19)! The last one will be held in Antwerp (Belgium) in November 2008.

Last but not least, a short report about the Canadian assemblies will be published in the Canadian Parliamentary Review in the Fall.

Keep posted!