Though the pq holds power in quebec, it is being challenged by the liberal opposition and the nationalist action democratique du quebec adq. Reference re secession of quebec, 1998 2 scr 217 is a landmark judgment of the supreme court of canada regarding the legality, under both canadian and international law, of a unilateral secession of quebec from canada both the quebec government and the canadian government stated they were pleased with the supreme courts opinion, pointing to different sections of the ruling. C this article has been rated as cclass on the projects quality scale. Reference re secession of quebec the canadian encyclopedia. The reasoning of the secession reference 1998 before the supreme court of canada canadas highest court will be explained and discussed critically from the perspective of international law, but bearing in mind the specificities of canadian constitutional law. Breaking up is hard to do case note author rosemary rayfuse. Equipo nizkor reference re secession of quebec, 1998 2 s. Reference re secession of quebec, 1998 case 48 teodora pop two conditions set by the liberal government of quebec. Secession of quebec and the future of canada on jstor. Editorial, court answe r s succeed the kitch e n e r. In the matter of section 53 of the supreme court act. Quebec secession reference by hillary kendrick on prezi. Lessons learned from the quebec secession reference before.
Charter of quebec values its as if pauline marois and her government knew we would be discussing the quebec secession reference case in constitutional law this week when they finally released their plans for a charter of. Arguments in support of the existence of such a right were primarily based on the principle of democracy. Faced with the question of whether quebec could make a unilateral declaration of independence, the supreme court declared unanimously in this reference 1998 that such a declaration would be unconstitutional both by canadian constitutional law and international law. A summary and case brief of reference re secession of quebec, 37 i. But while introducing new impediments to quebec s secession, the supreme court went beyond the original terms of reference of the federal government and stipulated. The question of quebec sovereignty reference re secession of quebec. Charter of quebec values its as if pauline marois and her government knew we would be discussing the quebec secession reference case in constitutional law this week when they finally released their plans for a charter of quebec. After the referendum, the supreme court of canada weighed in on the issue of sovereignty in the reference re secession of quebec. Mar 27, 2010 in the reference re secession of quebec, the supreme court said that a successful referendum will give necessary legitimacy to quebec governmentas effort to secede. This article deals with the legal aspects related to the most recent attempt 1995 by quebec to secede from canada. The second is the quebec veto reference6 of 4re reference by the governor in council concerning certain questions relating to the secession of quebec from canada, 161 d. Yet democracy in any real sense of the word cannot exist without the rule of law. Quebec the right to effect the secession of quebec from canada unilaterally. Reference re secession of quebec, 2 scr 217 is a landmark judgment of the supreme court of canada regarding the legality, under both canadian and international law, of a unilateral secession of quebec from canada.
Secession of quebec and the future of canada book description. Landmark case reference re secession of quebec 2012 jen. Reference re secession of quebec, 1998 2 scr 217 is a landmark judgment of the supreme court of canada regarding the legality, under both canadian. The federal and provincial governments have a duty to find, together, the means to ensure canadas. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks. What would happen today if a state tried to leave the. Under international law, is there a right to selfdetermination that would give the national assembly, l. I donat see any other way to give legitimacy to the effort of toronto to form its own province. The result of a referendum in october 95 was a slim defeat of the initiative by 50. This article is within the scope of wikiproject canada, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of canada on wikipedia. The court in this reference is required to consider whether quebec has a right to unilateral secession. The third part is practiceoriented and analyzes the status of the right to remedial secession in international law. Scc decision means feds cant refuse to negotiate, but can put up many obstacles to quebec secession.
Robert young discusses the ways in which canadians might reconstitute their country after quebec separates and considers possible political and economic arrangements between quebec and canada the association aspect of sovereigntyassociation including the breakdown of economic. Reference re securities act, 2011 scc 66 canlii, 2011. Some people that are for secession want it so they can get rid of the french language all together. Canada has let quebec vote in referendums twice 1980 and 1995.
Both the quebec government and the canadian government stated they were pleased with the supreme courts opinion, pointing to different sections of the ruling. Mouvement souverainiste du quebec is a political movement as well as an ideology of values, concepts and ideas that advocates independence for the canadian province of quebec. Under the constitution of canada, can the national assembly, legislature or government of quebec effect the secession of quebec from canada unilaterally. Constitutional jurisprudence shows that democracy exists in the larger context. All new provinces joining the federation sought to achieve similar objectives, which are.
You do understand that the federal constitution specifically states that the federal government is only allowed to do those things the several states delegated to it and that the several states can do anything except those few things the federal. Reference re secession of quebec case brief rule of law. Appointment of amicus curiae b c quebec didnt believe sup. Jacquesyvan morin former quebec intergovernmental affairs minister. Applying these principles, the court found that while unilateral secession would be unconstitutional, a clear expression for secession by the people of quebec would impose a reciprocal obligation on all parties to negotiate in order to respond to the desire. The negotiation process precipitated by a decision of a clear majority of the population of quebec on a clear question to pursue secession would require the reconciliation of various rights and obligations by the representatives of two legitimate majorities, namely, the clear majority of the population of quebec. Reference re secession of quebec and federal loyalty. Quebec wanted to split as a unilateral state from canada. The university of queenslands institutional repository, uq espace, aims to create global visibility and accessibility of uqs scholarly research. Each ojen landmark case includes a case summary, classroom discussion questions and activities that encourage students to explore both the legal and societal importance of the case.
Challenge of quebec secession law makes it before the. All new provinces joining the federation sought to achieve similar objectives, which. Map of active separatist movements in north america. Canlii connects reference re secession of quebec 1998 c. Constitutional theory and the quebec secession reference. Private pr o p e r ty and the power of eminent domain c a m b ri d g e, ma. In the matter of section 53 of the supreme court act, r. Its holding was enshrined in the federal governments 2000 clarity act. And in the matter of a reference by the governor in council concerning certain questions relating to the secession of quebec from canada, as set out in order in council p.
In reference re secession of quebec, 1998 canlii 793 scc, 1998 2 s. Seymour and others published internal selfdetermination and secession find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Nov 18, 2014 reference re secession of quebec reference re secession of quebec, 1998 2 scr 217. Right to selfdetermination in in re secession of quebec. A positive impact for all 22 quebeckers and all canadians. Bloc loses bid to rewrite quebec secession rules politics canada would benefit from the quebecois saying yes to something. Please access a pdf of this article using the link to the left. Reference re secession of quebec case brief for law.
Reference re secession of quebec, 1998 york university. Mar 20, 2017 montrealthe longawaited constitutional challenge of quebecs secession law finally found its way before a judge on monday, nearly 16 years after it was launched. Flag of quebec the province of quebec shown in redorange the quebec sovereignty movement french. Quebec again voted against secession, but just barely. In the matter of a reference by the governor in council concerning certain ques tions relating to the secession of quebec from canada, as set out in order in. The quebec secession reference and the proposed charter of. Both times, the majority of quebecers chose to stay in canada.
Reference re secession of quebec case brief quimbee. Feb 25, 2016 canada has let quebec vote in referendums twice 1980 and 1995. Reference re secession of quebec reference re secession of quebec, 1998 2 scr 217. Federal government to change rules on quebec secession. Several diverse political groups coalesced in the late 1960s in the formation of the parti quebecois, a provincial. I will argue that it is in everybodys interest whether one is for quebec independence or canadian unity to reflect, and act, upon the following six lessons or findings learned from the supreme court opinion and consequences thereof. The scottish independence movement learned from quebecs. This raised the eyebrows of the federal government and forced them to become prepared in case a referendum were to take place. The constitutional obligation to negotiate 1998 10. Rethinking the boundaries of democratic secession oxford academic. So the question is misleading because it implies that canada or at least the rest of canada stopped quebec from. Democracy, however, means more than simple majority rule.
The right to vote gives us the majority rule, a fundamentally rooted concept connected to our goals to selfgovern however, democracy is a continuing discussion of compromise and negotiation where consenting and dissenting views between the majority and minority in order to fully express issues. S26 and in the matter of a reference by the governor in council concerning certain questions relating to the secession of quebec from canada, as set out in order in council p. The secession attempts of kosovo, south ossetia 1 and abkhazia in 2008 put the questions of state sovereignty and selfdetermination at the top of the international agenda and triggered debates among academics on the applicability of the right to selfdetermination, including the right to secession tancredi, 2008, mullerson, 2009, slomanson, 2009, borgen, 20092010. The quebec secession reference and the proposed charter of quebec values casepolicy considered. Pdf constitutional theory and the quebec secession reference. High this article has been rated as highimportance on the project. In the context of the united states, secession primarily refers to the voluntary withdrawal of one or more states from the union that constitutes the united states. The quebec secession reference university of queensland. The relevance of remedial secession in the postsoviet. As a consequence, a federal head of power cannot be given a scope that would eviscerate a provincial legislative competence. Distinct society status veto power there were two attempts to achieve these rights. Reference re secession of quebec university of windsor.
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