NATIONALISM, FEDERALISM AND CONSTITUTIONA LISM - 3 CENTRAL METAPHORS IN CANADIAN POLITICS

The main purpose of this article is to shed light on the profound poli tical problems currently facing Canada. The country - provided the Que bec separatists secure a victory in the impending Quebec election - se ems bound for breakup or even fragmentation beyond the separation of Q uebec from Canada. Three metaphors initially formulated by prominent p oliticians and academics are presented and discussed in order to shed light on the nature of the problems facing Canada. The first metaphor - entitled ''Two Scorpions in a Bottle'' and which highlights Quebec n ationalism - stresses the role of national identity and mobilization a s the driving force behind Canada's impending breakup. The second meta phor - entitled ''Eleven Elephants in a Maze'' - directs the attention to the role of federalism, in particular to opposition to federal pow er by assertive provinces and to important centrifugal aspects of the Canadian federal system. The third metaphor - entitled ''The Three Equ alities'' - places the emphasis on deep-seated constitutional problems that have not been resolved. The problems and the efforts to resolve them have contributed to a constitutional paradigm shift in which the foundations upon which both the quest for Quebec separation and the pr inciple of provincial equality underlying provincial assertiveness hav e been challenged. The result is an unusually complex political scene which has spawned numerous innovative efforts at political and institu tional change as well as a rich academic commentary. Both warrant a fa r wider scholarly attention by non-Canadians than has hitherto been th e case.