Alliance Quebec Brief on Bill C-20, The Clarity Bill

Alliance Quebec congratulates the Government of Canada on the Clarity Bill, which recognizes the errors of the 1995 referendum campaign and acknowledges the demands of most federalists in Quebec for a clear framework that safeguards our constitutional rights, as recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada. In 1995, the secessionist Government of Quebec held a referendum that was intended to lead to a unilateral declaration of independence. An ambiguous question was posed that referred to an agreement between the three separatist leaders. The people of Quebec then voted in confusion, with most under the illusion that secession was a right, that a referendum could activate that right, and that a majority Yes vote would be followed, naturally and normally, by Quebec’s independence with its borders intact. And many also felt that Quebec would continue to send representatives to the Canadian Parliament and would retain its rights as part of NAFTA and the GATT .