Jean-Francois Caron

Canada and Multinational Federalism: From the Spirit of 1982 to Stephen Harper's Open Federalism

Since the end of the Second World War, principles of diversity and multiculturalism have increasingly been codified in international law. The present article takes a closer look at the evolution of Canadas attitude towards the recognition of its multinational character over the past 25 years. The article shows that the more recent idea of “open federalism” put forward by Prime Minister Stephen Harpers government as a recognition of multinationalism closely resembles the monist idea of the state that was promoted by former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. Thus, contrary to what is being portrayed in political discourses, nothing much has changed over the last 25 years. Stephen Harpers “open federalism” remains largely inspired by philosophical elements of monism and does not contribute to making Canada a truly multinational state.

Understanding and interpreting France's national identity: The meanings of being French

France has recently held a national debate on the nature of its national identity. This grassroot process has lead thousands of French citizens to define in their own terms what it means to be French. Based upon these contributions, this article proposes a typology of the different meanings of being French and looks to throw light on these conceptions of citizenship, in explaining their respective origins and premises, but also in showing their potential and disadvantages with regard to the challenges of ethno-cultural pluralism.

Rethinking the Sense of Belonging of Ethnocultural Minorities through Reasonable Accommodations in a Liberal Perspective

A version of liberalism sees the accommodation of cultural and religious beliefs of minority ethnocultural groups as a norm of justice. However, such a policy is said to contribute to a fear of social fragmentation and the dissolution of what is at the heart of the communitys collective identity. This paper addresses this problem by showing from a theoretical perspective that the granting of accommodations to minority groups can be constructive to the creation of a sense of belonging, contrary to what certain detractors of multiculturalism argue.

Rooted Cosmopolitanism in Canada and Quebec

Rooted cosmopolitanism lies in the idea that the flourishing and development of moral finalities of humankind depend largely on a national culture that must universalize itself on the rest of the world. Canada and Quebec national identities are strongly influenced by this idea and they both pretend that their way of dealing with ethnocultural pluralism are examples that the rest of the world should copy. By looking at the works of various Canadian and Quebec intellectuals, this article shows how the Canadian model of multiculturalism and the Quebec approach of interculturalism are now important elements of their respective national psyche.

Exploring the extent of ethical disobedience through the lens of the Srebrenica and Rwanda genocides: can soldiers disobey lawful orders?

ABSTRACT Although obligation in the military world implies a strict duty to obey the orders that are given, this obligation is conditional on the lawfulness of these orders. In other words, soldiers have the moral duty to disobey orders that would lead them to commit unlawful actions. Therefore, ethical disobedience is an important feature of the armed forces and cannot be ignored. This text contemplates an extended version of this logic by considering whether or not soldiers have the duty to disobey lawful orders that, if respected, will likely result in harm to civilians, such as war crimes and/or genocide. Based on the examples of the genocide of Srebrenica in 1995 and Rwanda in 1994 and from moral arguments, this text discusses that ethical disobedience should include such a possibility.

An Ethical and Judicial Framework for Mercy Killing on the Battlefield

As a follow-up to Stephen Deakins analysis on the ethics of mercy killing on the battlefield in this journal, this article proposes a moral justification for this type of action, as well as a judicial framework that could clarify what qualifies as such morally permissible action. Based upon contemporary cases, it argues that the current military codes of conduct are incoherent when it comes to the punishment of soldiers who commit mercy killings, and that the military codes of justice should be amended accordingly.

Penser le lien politique de l’accommodement raisonnable

Au cours des dernieres annees, les demandes d’accommodement raisonnable formulees par les groupes ethnoculturels ont fait couler beaucoup d’encre. Certains craignent que ces pratiques en viennent a creer une communautarisation des differents groupes ethnoculturels. Ce texte suggere plutot l’inverse en tentant de demontrer que le processus dialogique associe a l’octroi de ces demandes est propice au developpement d’un patriotisme et d’un sentiment d’appartenance chez les individus qui appartiennent a des groupes ethnoculturels minoritaires.