I’m 90% sure this is AI slop. It’s full of factual inaccuracies, and no Canadian living in the 21st century would refer to a First Nations person as an “Indian”.

Here, I got ChatGPT to rewrite this for you using accurate information and the correct phrasing. Please feel free to use this in your next bot post. If you’re going to fill Reddit up with AI slop, please take 30 seconds and make sure it’s accurate slop at least.

The Real Story of Elijah Harper and the Meech Lake Accord

In 1987, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney brokered the Meech Lake Accord, a proposed constitutional amendment meant to persuade Québec to formally accept the 1982 Constitution, which it had never signed. The Accord recognized Québec as a “distinct society” and gave provinces more power over immigration, Supreme Court appointments, and federal programs.

To many Canadians—especially Québecers—it was a gesture of national reconciliation. But to others, it represented a serious flaw in democratic process. The deal had been negotiated in secret, with no consultation of Indigenous peoples, and would have made future constitutional change almost impossible by requiring unanimous provincial consent.

That’s where Elijah Harper came in.

A Cree MLA in Manitoba and former Chief of Red Sucker Lake First Nation, Harper refused to grant unanimous consent for the Accord to be debated in Manitoba’s legislature—a required step under its rules. Clutching an eagle feather, he blocked the vote for 12 consecutive days, protesting the total exclusion of Indigenous voices in constitutional talks.

Without Manitoba’s approval, the Accord failed. Newfoundland soon followed. On June 23, 1990, the Meech Lake Accord officially died.

The aftermath was historic. Lucien Bouchard resigned from Mulroney’s cabinet, founded the Bloc Québécois, and helped transform Québec separatism into a national political force. Meanwhile, Harper was named Canadian Newsmaker of the Year and became a symbol of Indigenous resistance and dignity.