(Montreal, Québec Canada) The Unity Thinktank has benefited from the extensive communications industry experience of its founder, Philip McMaster.
His communications consulting company has devoted considerable resources, time and funds to the organizational start-up and public relations needs of the Unity Thinktank and related projects.

McMaster began his unity work in 1979 as a contracted employee with the Canadian Unity Information Office, manning a traveling exhibit prior to the original 1980 Québec referendum.

Recognizing a need expressed by the community he was born and raised in, McMaster founded the first English community newspaper serving the Laurentian mountains of Québec in 1988. In 1989 he introduced a French cultural newspaper to the same region, as well as publishing a bilingual restaurant guide book.

Serving 3 years as a marketing committee member of the English community newspaper association (QCNA), McMaster initiated "Travel Québec" campaigns, and encouraged membership in the Federation Professionel des Journalistes Québecois, of which he was a member. Through his newspaper, UpNorth News, McMaster promoted a series of community discussions throughout the Laurentian region promoting Reed Scowen and his book, A Different Vision in 1991. The discussion series attracted media coverage which resulted in what became the definitive video clip of the time - featuring students of Laurentian Regional High School indicating by a show of hands that virtually all the English speakers intended to leave the province upon graduation.

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

The concept of Zebraphones was coined by McMaster in the summer of 1991. In March of 1992 McMaster began a successful campaign of handing out small Canadian flag pins under the name Passion for Canada, and in April of that year assisted with the production and execution of the "Quebec is Our Home" cross-Canada advertising campaign. McMaster also founded the Unity Thinktank and Cool to Be Canadian in 1992.

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

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

• Bløke Québecois -"Don't Leave Home....Period" (don't leave Québec) and "It's Hip To Be Square" (English speaking Québecers are called 'square heads') say the T-shirts printed within a few weeks of the original Bloc Québecois convention that elected Lucien Bouchard & his separatists to the official opposition in Canada's Parliament in 1992. The Bloc is still the official opposition, and Bouchard has become Premier of the Province of Québec, but we haven't heard much from the English speaking residents of Quebec... the "Blokes" for awhile.. lets' listen in....

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

• Unity Thinktank - Solutions to problems come from understanding the people involved. Misunderstanding is the root of all conflict, and creative discussion is the beginning of every solution. Learn how anyone (especially you) can be a part of the solution.

• Passion for Canada - Canadians love making subtle statements of their beliefs. Symbols are a convenient way to summarize that expression. Tiny Canadian flag lapel pins are not only attractive to "true" Canadians, but are noticed and respected by those who see a different future for the federation.

• Québec is Our Home - Over 100 English speaking Québecers contributed thousands of dollars to a cross-Canada ad campaign asking for the thoughts of other Canadians regarding Québec's place in Canada. This site recalls the responses to this highly un-scientific poll in 1992 - some negative, but mostly positive.

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