What was the 1992 Charlottetown referendum?

The 1992 Charlottetown referendum was a national referendum held on October 26, 1992 on whether to ratify the Charlottetown Accord, a comprehensive constitutional agreement among federal, provincial, and territorial governments and Indigenous representatives. About 54.3 per cent of Canadian voters rejected the Accord, with majorities against in six provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, and Nova Scotia) and one territory (Yukon). Majorities approved in four provinces (Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador) and the Northwest Territories.

The Charlottetown Accord had been negotiated from spring to August 1992 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, federal officials, all 10 provincial Premiers, the Yukon and Northwest Territories' leaders, and the leaders of the Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Métis National Council, and the Native Council of Canada. The Accord was signed on August 28, 1992 at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Major elements included: recognising Quebec as a 'distinct society' (Section 1 of a new Canada Clause); recognising the inherent Indigenous right of self-government; constitutionally entrenching the Senate as an elected, equal, effective body (the Triple-E Senate); and entrenching specific federal-provincial division of powers.

The campaign was politically extraordinary. The Yes campaign was supported by Mulroney's Progressive Conservatives, Jean Chrétien's federal Liberals, Audrey McLaughlin's federal NDP, all 10 provincial Premiers, all territorial leaders, all major Indigenous organisations, the chambers of commerce, labour unions, and almost every major establishment institution. The No campaign was led by Quebec sovereigntists (under Jacques Parizeau and Lucien Bouchard, who argued the Accord did not go far enough), former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (who publicly opposed the Accord on October 1, 1992 in his famous Maison Egg Roll speech), and the Reform Party (under Preston Manning, arguing the Accord favoured Quebec). About 75 per cent of the population was on the No side by election day.

The October 26, 1992 referendum results were decisive. Total Yes vote: 4,811,053 (45.7 per cent). Total No vote: 5,710,799 (54.3 per cent). Turnout: 71.8 per cent. The Accord was decisively rejected. The defeat had significant consequences. Mulroney's popularity collapsed, contributing to the Progressive Conservatives' historic defeat in the October 25, 1993 federal election (PCs fell from 156 to 2 seats). Constitutional amendment-making in Canada effectively ended for the next generation; no major constitutional package has been attempted since 1992. The 1995 Quebec referendum on sovereignty came close to passing (50.58 per cent No to 49.42 per cent Yes), partly fuelled by the Charlottetown defeat. The Charlottetown referendum remains an important precedent for popular constitutional consultation.