Souveraineté du Canada

The sovereignty of Canada is, in legal terms, the power of Canada to govern itself and its subjects; it is the ultimate source of Canada's law and order. Sovereignty is also a major cultural matter in Canada. Several matters currently define Canadian sovereignty: the Canadian monarchy, telecommunication, the autonomy of the provinces, and Canada's Arctic border. Canada is a constitutional monarchy. Though unitary, the Canadian Crown is also "divided" equally among the country's 11 jurisdictions: one federal (wherein the sovereign is represented by the governor general) and 10 provincial (the monarch being represented in each by a lieutenant governor). The greater autonomy of each province and territory within the construct of Canadian federalism is also important to Canadian sovereignty. Quebec has twice voted on seceding from Canada. Sovereignty has also been an issue for some of Canada's indigenous peoples. Canada's Telecommunications Act "specifies the need for national ownership and control of Canadian carriers". Since 2005, arctic ice melting in Northern Canada has caused issues affecting Canadian sovereignty, as some arctic countries have come in conflict over an agreement on who owns certain areas in the oil-rich Arctic. The origins of Canada's sovereignty lie in the constitutional English and British crowns and the absolute French crown establishing, in the 17th and 18th centuries, governmental institutions in areas that today comprise Canada. As such, Canada was affected by the conflicts in England in the 17th century, between monarch and parliament, over which was the ultimate authority, culminating in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the Bill of Rights, 1689, which is today part of Canadian law. With the enactment of the British North America Act, 1867, the modern polity of Canada was founded and was granted self-government. Sovereignty was "carried over" into Canadian constitutional law. But, the country's government and legislature were still under the authority of the monarch in her British Council and parliament at Westminster and the final court of appeal was the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.