Imagine if Canada has sent in the tanks during the Quebec 1995 referendum?
Well, was that referendum agreed with the federal government or unilateral? And most importantly of all, was it legal according to Canadian law?
It was a unilateral decision. Succession was not mentioned in the constitution, and the Supreme Court had not yet ruled on the issue. It was a legal grey area. The government of Canada made a big mistake by campaigning against succession and for staying in Canada, as it gave it the referendum a lot of legitimacy. You can't say the referendum is illegal and baseless if you spend months campaigning for Quebec to stay in Canada. It would have been smart to ignore the referendum, and if it passed the government could say sorry, Canada is indivisible.
