In a landmark judgment, Reference Re Secession of Quebec, [1998] 2 SCR 217 (https://www.- canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/1998/1998canlii793/1998canlii793.html), the Supreme Court of Canada
unanimously concluded that although peoples have a right to self-determination in international law, “the National Assembly, the legislature or the government of Quebec do not enjoy a right at
international law to effect the secession of Quebec from Canada unilaterally”.
Why did the Supreme Court come to this conclusion, and what does the reference tell us more broadly about the role of international law in Canada’s domestic politics?
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