Instructions: It must have a clear thesis, be driven by a structured argument, and also be written in typo-free, grammatically correct English. Please do
not include a bibliography. However, you should support your key claims with brief footnotes (to outside research materials) where appropriate. Include some of the rules, ideas, theories, and doctrines discussed in the course.
Essay question: In a landmark judgment, Reference
Re Secession of Quebec, [1998] 2 SCR 217, 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? You may want to consider
debates about secession in Alberta, British Columbia, or other provinces.