Reference re secession of quebec case brief quimbee. Constitution making and the right to take part in a public. Fall, 2000 selfdetermination of the peoples 5 through a referendum. Referring to various international legal documents embodying the right, and the. Collective rights research paper prepared for the quebec community groups network michael n. Reference re secession of quebec rather than domestic law. Right to selfdetermination in in re secession of quebec.
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 orde r in council p. Click here and look near the top of the page, at the introductory paragraph made by the majority of justices in this decision, if. 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. References in this casenote are to paragraph numbers in the decision. In the matter of a reference by the governor in council concerning certain ques tions relating. Document of jurisprudence concerning language rights. Many international lawyers intervened in the proceedings, helping the canadian supreme court to craft a very clear judgement on this issue. 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. A positive impact for all 24 lead to a standoff, not to sovereigntyassociation. The secession reference and the limits of law opencommons. Reference re secession of quebec case brief for law.
This short article will address the two following issues. Under international law, is there a right to selfdetermination that would give the national assembly, l. Some people that are for secession want it so they can get rid of the french language all together. The quebec government chose not to participate in the decision, so andre jolicoeur was assigned as an amicus curiae by the court. The author raises hypothesis that remedial right to secession as an exercise of the right. A total of 204 constitutions have broader references to territorial. 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. Reference re secession of quebec case brief wiki fandom. The right of a people to selfdetermination cannot be said to ground a right to unilateral secession. Reference re secession of quebec probe international. Both times, the majority of quebecers chose to stay in canada. The quebec secession reference and the proposed charter of quebec values casepolicy considered.
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 various international documents that support the existence of a peoples right to. In reference re secession of quebec, nobody is accused of anything, nor is anyone being defended or taking its own defense. Constitutional theory and the quebec secession reference 145 of canadian constitutional law and jurisprudence based on systematic reflection concerning the relationship between constitutional adjudication and democratic politics has been, for the most.
As such, they may not rely on the constitutional amendment process to achieve their goals. More importantly, question 2 does not ask an abstract question of pure international law but seeks to determine the legal rights and obligations of the legislature or government. The quebec secession reference and the poverty of theory in canadian constitutional discourse from the moment that it was handed down, the judgment of the supreme court of canada in the quebec secession reference produced a torrent of. The court noted that a constitution should ensure that vulnerable. Please access a pdf of this article using the link to the left. In reference re secession of quebec from canada,4 the supreme court of canada. Reference re securities act 2011 scc 66 file no 33718. Reference re secession of quebec, influential beyond its borders, has made dialogue over constitutional matters an obligation of the state and citizens. This page contains a form to search the supreme court of canada case information database. The question of quebec sovereignty reference re secession of quebec. The right to decide, the principle of stability, and the. 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. In the matter of section 53 of the supreme court act, r.
So the question is misleading because it implies that canada or at least the rest of canada stopped quebec from. Constitutional theory and the quebec secession reference sujit choudhry and robert howse 1. You can search by the scc 5digit case number, by name or word in the style of cause, or by file number from the appeal court. Reference re secession of quebec scc cases lexum skip to main content. Secession as a remedial right fundamentally restricts the scope of external selfdetermination to being a last resort measure for those groups that witness serious, persistent injustices. Reference re secession of quebec, 1998 2 scr 217 is a landmark judgment of the supreme.
Reference re securities act supreme court of canada mclachlin, c. The secession reference and other references have become. Canada has let quebec vote in referendums twice 1980 and 1995. Remedial secession is a right of peoples to separate a part of the territory from the parent state on the basis of a breach of that peoples right to selfdetermination. Your use of this heinonline pdf indicates your acceptance of heinonlines. The clear repudiation by the people of quebec of the existing constitutional order would confer legitimacy on demands for secession, and place an obligation on the other provinces and the federal government to.
Pdf constitutional theory and the quebec secession reference. Landmark case reference re secession of quebec 2012 jen. In its analysis of the question relevant to the unilateral secession of quebec. The quebec secession reference and the proposed charter of. David raic, statehood and the law of selfdetermination, 2002, p. In the matter of a reference by the governor in council concerning the proposed canadian securities act, as set out in order in council p. A summary and case brief of reference re secession of quebec, 37 i. Following the close referendum result in the 1995 referendum, government of canada initiated a reference to the supreme court to question the legal issues surrounding unilateral secession.
Reference re secession of quebec, 1998 york university. Breaking up is hard to do case note author rosemary rayfuse. It sometimes brings hope to minorities that are in despair an. Toronto star, august 22 1998 available in lexisnexis, news library, allnws file. You can search by the scc 5digit case number, by name or word in. Distinct society status veto power there were two attempts to achieve these rights. The reference re secession of quebec, the kosovo advisory opinion and the questions they leave open. 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. It then explains why the canadian reference re secession of quebec case has limited bearing as a. Under the constitution of canada, can the national assembly, legislature or government of quebec effect the secession of quebec from canada unilaterally. In this particular environment, law and justice have gradually become more converging, and the theory of remedial secession began to gain ground.
More recently, the supreme court in reference re secession of quebec emphasized the connection between section 9124 and the relationship between indigenous peoples and the federal crown. Reference re secession of quebec case brief rule of law. Does selfdetermination entail an automatic right to. Rayfuse, rosemary reference re secession of quebec from. The reference re secession of quebec, the kosovo advisory. Constitutional theory and the quebec secession reference.
Reference re securities act in the matter of a reference by the governor in council pursuant to section 53 of the supreme court act, r. Emerging from the lofty theoretical rhetoric of selfdetermination in political theory. Pdf the reference re secession of quebec, the kosovo advisory. Reference re secession of quebec, 1998 case 48 teodora pop two conditions set by the liberal government of quebec.
Franck papers consist of a selection of his legal files relating to his involvement with two international court of justice cases. Unpublished documents bearing on the british north america act 1895, at p. In parallel, political theory and action provide both trenchant arguments and a body of practice that support public involvement as a requisite of democratic constitution making. The constitution and the english language in quebec. Constitutions treatment of secession reveals that popular sovereignty is a territorial concept. Document of jurisprudence concerning language rights protected by the canadian charter of rights and freedom lrsp language rights support program. In the matter of section 53 of the supreme court act.
Canlii connects reference re secession of quebec 1998 c. Meech lake accord 1987 charlottetown accord 1992 secession do you agree that quebec should become sovereign after having made a formal offer to canada for a new economic and political. 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 governor in council asked the opinion of the supreme court on three questions. Reference re secession of quebec jump to navigation jump to search. The reference of the supreme court of canada re secession of quebec was the first time a tribunal directly addressed unilateral secession.
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