(Montreal, Québec Canada) The Unity Thinktank has benefitedfrom the extensive communications industry experience of itsfounder, Philip McMaster.
His communications consulting company has devotedconsiderable resources, time and funds to the organizationalstart-up and public relations needs of the Unity Thinktankand related projects.

McMaster began his unity work in 1979 as a contractedemployee with the Canadian Unity Information Office, manninga traveling exhibit prior to the original 1980 Québecreferendum.

Recognizing a need expressed by the community he was bornand raised in, McMaster founded the first English communitynewspaper serving the Laurentian mountains of Québec in1988. In 1989 he introduced a French cultural newspaper tothe same region, as well as publishing a bilingualrestaurant guide book.

Serving 3 years as a marketing committee member of theEnglish community newspaper association (QCNA), McMasterinitiated "Travel Québec" campaigns, and encouragedmembership in the Federation Professionel des JournalistesQuébecois, of which he was a member. Through his newspaper,UpNorth News, McMaster promoted a series of communitydiscussions throughout the Laurentian region promoting ReedScowen and his book, A Different Vision in 1991. Thediscussion series attracted media coverage which resulted inwhat became the definitive video clip of the time -featuring students of Laurentian Regional High Schoolindicating by a show of hands that virtually all the Englishspeakers intended to leave the province upon graduation.

Working with professor Storrs McCall of McGill University,McMaster began unity activities and committee work inMontreal in 1991. As a consultant to the Bilingual DistrictsCommittee, The Referendum Group, The Québec-CanadaCommittee, Les Amis de Vendredi and other pro-Canada groups,McMaster helped form the variety of approaches toproblem-solving each group required.

The concept of Zebraphones was coined by McMaster in thesummer of 1991. In March of 1992 McMaster began a successfulcampaign of handing out small Canadian flag pins under thename Passion for Canada, and in April of that year assistedwith the production and execution of the "Quebec is OurHome" cross-Canada advertising campaign. McMaster alsofounded the Unity Thinktank and Cool to Be Canadian in 1992.

Some of the efforts that Philip McMaster has shared withCanadians over the years...

• Cool to be Canadian™ community college anduniversity students across Canada recognize love of theircountry by wearing dark glasses indoors for a day because...their future's so bright, they gotta wear shades! Find outwhat you can do in your part of Canada!

• Bløke Québecois -"Don't LeaveHome....Period" (don't leave Québec) and "It's Hip To BeSquare" (English speaking Québecers are called 'squareheads') say the T-shirts printed within a few weeks of theoriginal Bloc Québecois convention that elected LucienBouchard & his separatists to the official opposition inCanada's Parliament in 1992. The Bloc is still the officialopposition, and Bouchard has become Premier of the Provinceof Québec, but we haven't heard much from the Englishspeaking residents of Quebec... the "Blokes" for awhile..lets' listen in....

• Zebraphones - In Québec, and the rest ofCanada, linguistic groups are referred to as 1.) Francophone(French spoken at home) 2.) Anglophone (English spoken athome) or 3.) Allophone (language other than one of Canada'stwo official languages spoken at home). Old labels rekindleold arguments, so a label more reflective of modern Québecsociety was coined... find out what a Zebraphone is..(origin - In SouthAfrica, a "Bloke" is a Zebra, in FrenchCanada, a "Bloke" is an English speaker - )

• Unity Thinktank - Solutions to problemscome from understanding the people involved.Misunderstanding is the root of all conflict, and creativediscussion is the beginning of every solution. Learn howanyone (especially you) can be a part of the solution.

• Passion for Canada - Canadians love makingsubtle statements of their beliefs. Symbols are a convenientway to summarize that expression. Tiny Canadian flag lapelpins are not only attractive to "true" Canadians, but arenoticed and respected by those who see a different futurefor the federation.

• Québec is Our Home - Over 100 Englishspeaking Québecers contributed thousands of dollars to across-Canada ad campaign asking for the thoughts of otherCanadians regarding Québec's place in Canada. This siterecalls the responses to this highly un-scientific poll in1992 - some negative, but mostly positive.

  Click here to see names of contributors
  An update on the founder of Cool to be Canadian, Philip McMaster