LE3 .A278 2004

2004

Pyrcz, Greg

Acadia University

Bachelor of Arts

Honours

Political Science

Politics

Sovereignty is a puzzling concept characterized by apparent contradictions and varying meanings. It refers to absolute, top-down authority over a given territory as well as to the legitimate, bottom-up authority of popular will. In this thesis, I focus on this latter function, employing the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau to analyse Canadian legislation passed in 2000 that is meant to set the terms by which the Canadian federal government would negotiate secession with the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec. Although this piece of legislation, entitled the Clarity Act, is somewhat lacking insofar as it does not adequately clarify the procedure of secession, I argue that a certain reading of Rousseau and a review of sovereignty reveal theoretical nuances within the Act. The Act introduces a theoretically and practically justified condition for a successful referendum on Quebec sovereignty; namely, that for the federal government to recognize the legitimacy of a sovereigntist vote, a “clear majority” of Quebecers must answer in favour of a “clear question” on the topic of secession. I begin with a discussion of the Clarity Act and a discussion of the context in which it was adopted. Following this, I begin a literature review of the concept of sovereignty, first considering it from an historical perspective, especially as a source of political authority. Second, I consider the work of Rousseau, his Discourse on Inequality and the Social Contract, and their treatment of the ideas of collective self-determination, nationalism, totalitarianism, and representative and direct democracy. I conclude by returning to the Clarity Act in order to elaborate upon and reinterpret it in light of the review of Rousseau’s theory.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:428