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Introduction LINDA CARDINAL and DAVID HEADON As early as 1852, Australia's then most celebrated republican, the Reverend John Dunmore Lang, stated in his classic work Freedom and Independence for the Golden Lands of Australia that "Remote as [Australia and Canada] are from each other, there is a secret sympathy between these two countries". This connection, this simpatico relationship, would continue for several decades after Lang's perceptive observation upto the 1890s and Federation in 1901. During the latter period other countries such as the United States of America, Germany and Switzerland also figured in this trans-Pacific debate, helping to shape a mature response to the central issue of federalism versus state (provincial) rights. Onehundred yearslater,there isreinvigorated interest inAustralia's constitutional debate concerning the issue of becoming a republic. Questions concerning nationhood and national identity, itseems, continue to preoccupy both Australia and Canada. Lang's "secret sympathy" is probably more accuratenow than ever before. It was in response to this renewed sense ofshared political and social ground that scholars from both Australia and Canada gathered at a conference, "Shaping Nations", hosted by the Institute of Canadian Studies at the University of Ottawa in December 1999. The conference grew out of a fortuitous connection between the Australian High Commission in Ottawa, the Institute and the Centre for Australian Cultural Studies (Canberra) and the energy and enthusiasm of the organizing committee at the Institute. The contributing scholars at the conference built generously on this enthusiasm, producing a collective narrative that will enlighten readers of this volume about the drama, pragmatism and vision ofnineteenth centurydebate, and at the same time canvas the challenges presented by recent constitutional history in both countries. 2 INTRODUCTION This book is divided into five parts. In part 1, John Williams and Helen Irving discuss the almost unavoidable reference to the Canadian Constitution in the debates leading toAustralianfederation. Williams and Errol P.Mendes also look at contemporary constitutionalism and suggest that the two countries are still influencing each other's understanding of rights issues and federalism.Inpart 2,Jeff Brownrigg,W.Wesley Pue and Angelika Sauer show that creating a new country cannot be done in a cultural void. Both Australia and Canada needed a cultural and legal ethos in order to forge their new nations. Thus, while new immigrants were welcome, and came from all over Europe, they would have to espouse the cause of Britishness. As Sauer discusses in her chapter, there is a framework of imperial-national thinking that 'centres around a narrative ofcolonial progress.' ForSauer,Canada was themost commonly cited colonialprototype and British officials hoped theAustralian colonies would emulate their Canadian sister. In part3,authors GalenRoger Perras,KimRichardNossal, Desmond Morton and Jeffrey Keshen show how the ties between Australia and Canada go beyond matters of the constitution into issues of diplomatic relations and war. Forboth countries, the two world wars had important consequences for their patterns of governance and for their relationship with Britain. Part 4 addresses more contemporary issues in Australian politics principally, the defeated referendum in November 1998, when Australians chose to remain a constitutional monarchy in controversial circumstances. Mark McKenna and David Headon both scrutinize and analyze the complexities of that debate. David E. Smith then asks why there is no such movement in Canada. In part 5, authors Patrick Keyzer, Gilles Paquet, Judith McCann and Greg Wood look at the patterns of governance in Australia and Canada as they apply to law, public policy and film industries. Collectively, these contributions will be of particular interest to students ofAustralian and Canadian politics. The volume is published at a particularly intense cultural moment for both countries and we hope it will serve as a catalyst for a series of collaborations that explore the dimensions of Lang's "secret sympathy" well into the 21st century. This book was made possible through the efforts and support of our partners: the Australian High Commission in Canada, the Australian and New Zealand Association of Canadian Studies, the Centre for the Study of Governance and the Institute of Canadian Studies at the Universityof Ottawa. Our special thanks to Chad Gaffield at the Institute of Canadian Studies for supporting this project from its inception. ...

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