User:Patar knight/Sherbrooke Declaration

The Sherbrooke Declaration is a 2005 document that details the New Democratic Party's policy on the role of Quebec in Canada. The most discussed provision is that a simple majority (i.e. 50%+1) would would constitute a clear majority and be enough for Quebec to separate. The Sherbrooke Declaration would overturn the Clarity Act, and critics have argued that it goes against the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in the Reference Re Secession of Quebec. Other parts of the declaration include a proposal for asymmetric federalism, in which Quebec would have more rights to opt out of federal programs than other provinces. After the 2011 Canadian federal election in which the NDP won the majority of Quebec seats, the Sherbrooke Declaration became the focus of increased attention in federal politics, especially during the subsequent 2015 election.

Background
After a federalist victory by around one percentage point in the 1995 Quebec Referendum, the government of Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien referred the question of Quebec secession to the Supreme Court, and drafted the Clarity Act as a framework for future referenda based on its decision. Both the Liberals and the Parti Quebecois were pleased with the final ruling. The Liberals focused on the parts of the ruling that stated that a simple majority was not enough and that it had to be a clear question and a clear majority, and later enshrined that into law in their Clarity Act, although they left the exact number to future debate. The federal NDP voted for the Clarity Act when it was passed in 2000.

The Sherbrooke Declaration was announced by the General Council of the NDP (Quebec section) on Oct. 26, 2005 in Sherbrooke, Quebec, as part of a roadmap to increase their seat count in the province.

Content
The most widely discussed part of the Sherbrooke Declaration is its sixth article, which deals with the terms under which it may separate. The declaration asserts that the Quebec National Assembly has the write to draft the referendum question, unlike under the Clarity Act, in which that right is given to Parliament. It also asserts that the final decision on the question would be the Quebec Court of Appeals.

Other important articles include Article 3, which recognizes that Quebec has a unique national character, similar past proposals to name Quebec a distinct society. Article 4 calls for asymmetric federalism in which Quebec can opt out of federal programs and still receive funding, which other provinces would not be able to do. Article 5 calls for limiting the federal spending power, the ability of the federal government to legislate on matters of provincial responsibility

The other articles are more mundane. Article 1 declares that the NDP intends to eventually form government and will govern according to its social democratic values. Article 2 reiterates the NDP's support for Canadian federalism. Finally, in Article 7, the last article, describes the the NDP's general plans for the future, such as getting Quebec to sign the constitution.

History
In a 2007 by-election, now NDP leader Thomas Mulcair became the second Quebec NDP MP ever elected, after Phil Edmonston in 1990. In the 2011 election, the so-called "Orange Crush" saw the NDP take the majority of seats in the province, eclipse the Liberal Party in total seats, and form the Official Opposition. The rise of the NDP in Quebec and Canada brought its Sherbrooke Declaration increased prominence in federal politics.

Unity bill
In 2013, in response to a Bloc Québecois bill to repeal the Clarity Act, the NDP put forth a bill to replace the act with the Sherbrooke Declaration. The NDP called this the "Unity Bill."

Prominent NDP members who disagree with the Sherbrooke Declaration include former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow and Cree MP Romeo Saganash both of whom question its consistency with the 1998 Supreme Court Reference. A poll of NDP provincial leaders largely showed that the premiers regarded it as a federal issue, though Dominic Cardy offered his unqualified support for the bill and Adrian Dix from BC firmly opposed the bill.

2015 Canadian federal election
With the NDP's lead in polls in the lead up to the 2015 Canadian federal election, the Sherbrooke Declaration became an issue. At that year's Fete Nationale celebrations, Mulcair declared that sovereignty would hurt Quebec, but reiterated that the Sherbrooke's policy of 50%+1 was NDP policy.

During the Maclean's leader debate on 7 August 2015, Mulcair repeated attacked Trudeau over his support for the Clarity Act, asking "What's your number, Justin?" Trudeau's response was "nine" and clarified that that was the number of Supreme Court justices who had ruled that a simple majority was not enough and a specific number was to be set in context of a future referendum.

During the

Criticism
In 2012, Liberal MP Stéphane Dion, who drafted the Clarity Act, called on the NDP to define an unclear majority if their party policy was that 50%+1 was a clear majority.