The Meech Lake Accord was a set of failed constitutional amendments to the Constitution of Canada proposed by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Robert Bourassa, premier of Quebec. It was designed to induce Quebec to accept the Canada Act.
The accord identified five main modifications to the Canadian constitution:
- a recognition of the province of Quebec as a "distinct society";
- a commitment to Canada's bilingualism;
- increased provincial powers with respect to immigration;
- expansion of the provincial right to constitutional veto; and
- provincial input in appointing supreme court judges.
The Meech Lake Accord was followed up by a successor proposal known as the Charlottetown Accord, which also failed to be ratified.