Carney says majority will not be enough for Alberta to secede, citing the Clarity Act
Prime Minister Mark Carney says that a majority vote on the Alberta independence referendum will not be enough for Alberta to leave confederation.
Author: Clayton DeMaine
Bloc Québécois MPs are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to drop the Clarity Act, arguing it complicates secession referendums by adding conditions beyond a simple majority vote. Carney, however, said the Clarity Act does not apply to the current Alberta independence question and defended the Act’s requirements.
During Question Period in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Carney said the 50 per cent “plus one” threshold, a standard measure of majority support, does not automatically apply to questions of provincial independence, as set out in the Clarity Act.
The Act, passed in response to a 1998 Supreme Court ruling on Quebec secession, states that even if a majority votes to leave the federation, Parliament must determine whether the result reflects a “clear majority,” taking into account factors such as voter turnout and the size of the margin.
Bloc MP Christine Normandin pressured Carney in the House of Commons on Tuesday after he declared that he would use the Clarity Act to interfere in an Alberta referendum to separate from Canada.
“Any province or Quebec has the right to ask its citizens the question of its choice in a referendum. Citizens have the right to answer freely, and the majority wins with 50% of the votes plus one,” Normandin said in French. “ This concerns only two groups, the government that asked the question and the citizens who answered it. That is democracy. It’s that simple.”
Carney stated that the current question before the Alberta government is a “question on the question” and the Clarity Act wouldn’t apply, but that a “clear majority” on a secession question would need to be recognized by parliament for a province to leave confederation.
Normandin further stated that the Clarity Act is anti-democratic.
“The Prime Minister knows this: all his laws are passed with 50% plus one. His majority depends on 50% plus one. Even his parliamentary secretary for justice said the rule is 50% plus one,” she said. “ That is democracy, except for referenda, because of the Clarity Act. Will the Prime Minister repeal this authoritarian overreach?”
Carney said the Clarity Act is legislation passed through democratic means, arguing that applying it amounts to “respecting democracy.”
“The House of Commons must consider the following factors to establish this determination of a clear vote: the scope of the majority that are valid, expressed in favour of the successionist option, and the percentage of eligible electors who took part in the referendum is not 50 per cent plus one.”
After Question Period, Carney was asked by a reporter about the Clarity Act. He again noted that 50 per cent of voters “plus one” is not a clear majority as defined by the Act.
“It is absolutely not. And I would just recommend that you read the Clarity Act. It’s very clear, not surprisingly, the Clarity Act is very clear on a determination, and there’s a series of conditions, which I responded in the House for the record,” Carney said.
If he wants to initiate a Civil War he may be going about it the right way.
“Any province or Quebec has the right to ask its citizens the question of its choice in a referendum."
Notice that Quebec is not considered a province, but Special Status. Alberta needs to get out of this Mad House.