Canada has participated in the United Nations since its inception and is the only nation to have taken part in all of the UN's major peacekeeping operations. The last quarter of a century has seen Canadians grapple once more with fundamental questions of national identity. Discontent among many French-speaking residents of Quebec led to a referendum in that province in 1980 on whether Quebec should become more politically autonomous from Canada, but a majority voted against sovereignty association. In 1982, the process toward major constitutional reform reached an important milestone when the British North America Act of 1867 and its various amendments became the Constitution Acts, 1867-1982. The Constitution, its Charter of Rights and Freedoms and general amending formula redefined the powers of governments, entrenched the equality of women and men and advanced the rights of individuals and ethnocultural groups.
Federal evolution is also under way in Canada's North.
As the newest partner in the federation, Nunavut is the latest development in Canada's nation-building process.