This paper deals with the problem of constructing a Canadian identity upon which a representation of the social totality could be based. By means of a discursive analysis of Parliamentary speeches made before and after the 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum, the authors draw out the different modes of representing the political body: whereas the Quebec government's discourse promotes the idea of a self-determining community, the federalist discourse is based on the notion of a fragmentary society. A resolution to the constitutional crisis seems unlikely within the terms of the current debate; above and beyond the political interests of the respective protagonists, there are two incommensurable views of the collectivity.