The law of independence

Reference re Secession of Quebec 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. This text offers a theoretical and pragmatic analysis of the different aspects of this opinion, including the background and context leading up the opinion. Readers will benefit from an international perspective, aided by case studies of Montenegro, Kosovo, Scotland and Catalonia, which show how foreign public law and, most importantly, international law, have evolved with regard to questions of secession and a people's right to self-determination. This text also explains how every population that has held a referendum or contemplated holding a referendum regarding their independence since Reference re Secession of Quebec - including Scotland, Montenegro, Catalonia and Kosovo - was inspired in one way or another by Canada's past experience with the matter.