QUESTION (2026)

Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?

HISTORICAL MATERIALS (1867-2026)

The Nova Scotia Repeal Movement (1868)

Debates in the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada
Debates in the House of Commons and House of Lords of the UK
Debates in the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia

The Alberta Act (1905)

Creation of the Alberta Act (1896-1905)
The Alberta Act (1905)

The Quebec Referendum (1980)

Debates in the House of Commons and the Senate (1980)
Debates in National Assembly of Quebec (1978-1980)

Archival Materials on the Quebec Referendum [not yet available]

The Quebec Referendum (1995)

Debates in the House of Commons and Senate (1994-1995)
Debates in the National Assembly of Québec / An Act Respecting the Future of Quebec (1994-1995)

Archival Materials on the Quebec Referendum [not yet available]

Reference re Secession of Quebec, [1998] 2 S.C.R. 217

The Ruling [External Site: Supreme Court of Canada]

Unwritten Principles

Federalism [not yet available–See also section below “Development of Federalism & Provincial Constitutions”]

Democracy [not yet available]

Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law [not yet available]

Protection of Minorities

The Clarity Act (2000)

Debates on the Clarity Act (1999-2000)

An Act to give effect to the requirement for clarity as set out in the opinion of the Supreme Court of Canada in the Quebec Secession Reference (Clarity Act), SC, 2000

Bill 99: An Act respecting the exercise of the fundamental rights and prerogatives of the Québec people and the Québec State (1999-2000)

Debates in the National Assembly of Québec / An Act respecting the exercise of the fundamental rights and prerogatives of the Québec people and the Québec State (1999-2000)

Henderson v. Procureur général du Québec, 2021 QCCA 565

The Ruling [External Site: CanLII]

Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation v Alberta (Chief Electoral Officer), 2026 ABKB 375

The Ruling [External Site: CanLII]

“Understanding an Ambiguous Clause: The PrimaryDocuments.ca Drafting History for Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982” by Michael Scott (2025-2026) [Work in Progress]*

Numbered Treaties [External site: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada]

THE AMENDING FORMULA [not yet available]

Development of Federalism & Provincial Constitutions

REPORT: Compilation of primary documents to assist in interpreting the English phrases: “Provincial Constitutions” or “Constitution of the Province” or “Local Constitutions”

PUBLICATION: Charles Dumais, The Quebec Resolutions, Second Edition (2025): See for example, Lt.-Gov. Gordon’s Despatch of 1864 on p 109.

Book in Progress: The British North America Act (2025)

COLLECTION: Scrapbook Debates on Local Constitutions and other subjects (1866)

Other Materials [coming soon]