The following is the text of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson’s Address to the Conference on the Economics of Canadian Unity, Banff, Alberta, October 15, 1967

52 Editing Nineteenth-Century Texts EDITED BY JOHN M. ROBSON The second publication of the Editorial Problems Conference at University of Toronto, this hook is one of the first to gather together opinions and information about the editing of nineteenthcentury texts, in the light of standard methods and special problems. Its contributors include some of the foremost scholars in the field: Fredson Bowers, Bernard Weinberg, Michael Wolff, C. R. Saunders and John M. Robson. $6.00 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS Document: The fallowing is the text of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson's Address to the Conference on the Economics of Canadian Unity, Banff, Alberta, October 15, 1967: For the next three days you will be discussing a very important subject, the economics of Canadian unity within the context of nationhood as a whole; including its social and cultural and political aspects as well as the economic. Your talks will take place, too, in the context of the many forces at work in our country today - vigorous forces, dynamic forces, sometimes deeply disturbing ones; but always as challenging as they are disturbing. It is reassuring to remember that federalism - the source of so many of these forces - by its very nature is always in a state of flux. For it combines opposing forces -forces of unity and of diversity, of regional power and of central power - and these forces are in a constant state of adjustment in the face of changing economic, technological, and international circumstances . It is the continuing responsibility of any national leader in a federal country to try to keep these forces in balance; to recognize when positive action will reinforce the bonds that unite us, and when accommodation is required to reinforce the diversity which enriches us; and which, moreover, is an essential factor in unity. This has been my job- and my principal domestic concern - during my four years in office. My colleagues and I have tried to give added meaning to nationhood in Canada - by contributing toward common achievements in the arts and in science; by providing universal national services in the fields of health and of social security; by increasing the benefits of economic growth and distributing them more evenly across the country. We have tried to give focus to our common bonds by recognizing the symbols of nationhood-the flag and the national anthem; by giving encouragement to our Revue d'etudes canadiennes Centennial celebrations and Expo. We have tried, at the same time, to find some accommodation when a unified approach to social or economic progress in Canada would have conflicted with the interests or the aspirations of one of Canada's societies or regions. It was for this reason, for example, that the Canada Pension Plan was adapted to co-exist with the Quebec Pension Plan, and that the Atlantic Development Fund was created to meet the special needs of the Atlantic Provinces. These are but two examples. The forces of change in Canada today, however , have been so accelerated, and the turmoil of adjustment has become so intense, that customary processes of initiative and accommodation are no longer sufficient. We must engage in a more fundamental sort of questioning - the kind which in times of social stress can turn risk into opportunity, danger into challenge, even crisis into progress. We must identify and clarify the issues and the alternatives which the country faces. They must not only be discussed by political leaders but, more important, by the people themselves. For it is the people who will determine our destiny, our very existence as a sovereign Canadian state. Today all countries are subjected to stresses and tensions. Technological progress, increasing urbanization, the growing international interdependence of economies and of societies, and the confusion and bewilderment of change: all have caused major social adjustments throughout the world. Canada, though a "promised land" if there ever was one, could not expect to be immune. One of the most unexpected reactions to these changes has been the increased determination of peoples and of societies to find, or to retain, some cultural or social identity in the face of the rising uncertainty and insecurity associated with change, national and international. In Canada today, for...