“And Barbara it’s starting to rain, very gently.” So a youthful Peter Mansbridge told David Frum’s mother — and TV viewers across Canada —  as Elizabeth II approached  the table to sign the proclamation of the Constitution Act, 1982, 30 years ago, on Saturday, April 17, 1982. The ceremony was held outdoors on Parliament Hill [...]

The 30th anniversary of the day after the Canadian Night of the Long Knives — when “on November 5th, 1981, a radiant Trudeau announced the deal that had been reached with the nine provinces” and a “fuming Lévesque looked on” — has already been commemorated, at various places on and off the world wide web. [...]