INTRODUCTION

The Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada is one of the many mechanisms for citizen participation in the policy- making process of government. Since our presentation to the Commission last fall, we have looked forward to the Commission's summation and analysis of the views of Canadians on the main issues facing us as a nation in the coming years. CCLOW, therefore, considers it both a responsibility and a pleasure to respond to the interim report of the Commission.

The interim report has identified the question of major importance to many Canadians; the basic norm underlying the submissions made to the Commission; the main values and aspirations of Canadians; and the challenges and choices with which Canadians must deal in the next decade. There is in the report, a general recognition of the inter-relationships among the issues raised during the Commission's travel across Canada. The tone of the report is very general and very scant attention has been paid to distinct interest groups such as, for example, women, visible minorities and native peoples. It is, therefore, imperative that such groups define and examine the questions, aspirations, challenges and choices articulated by the Commission, from the perspective of their constituents.

Our response to the Commission's report will begin with an examination of the Commission's stated view of the nature of Canada. This will be followed by a discussion of the "basic constant" during the hearings. This discussion links two major aspirations of Canadians, self-reliance and equality of opportunity, to the liberal democratic foundation of Canadian society and the demands of women as persons in this society. From the perspective that Canada is a liberal democratic society and that self-reliance and equality of opportunity are two major values and demands of women in Canada, we respond to the Commission's statement of challenges and choices in the following areas:

When competition is valued, differences are emphasized and similarities and common purposes are overlooked. Individualism and self-reliance are emphasized and community, sharing and co-operation ignored. It is no coincidence that the Commission placed self-reliance at the top of its list of the main aspirations of Canadians. This is not to say that individualism and self-reliance must not be valued in our society. However, an emphasis on self-reliance must be balanced with an equal emphasis on co-operation - Canadians working together to achieve self-reliance as individuals and as a collective.

It is difficult to respond to the document of a Commission that regards competition as the base of Canadian society, and the nature of Canadian national institutions as "deliberately adversarial". (3) It is difficult, because CCLOW is of the view that co-operation not competition should be the basis of Canadian society, both domestically and internationally.

When co-operation is the basis of society, peace, not conflict, is regarded as natural to the social order, and the purpose of social order being to maintain this peace. Not coincidentally, "peace" is not listed by the Commission as an aspiration of Canadians.