The judges ended up hearing the arguments of top international lawyers from around the world. There’s a lot of nuance to their ruling, but as to the question of whether Quebec could unilaterally secede, the basic finding was that no, no they couldn’t. Why? Because although the Quebecois are by general agreement a distinct people with a land, a language, their own customs, and really really good pea soup, they are not persecuted by the Canadian government. They are allowed to run for office, they can vote, and they’re not being jailed or murdered or having their culture actively suppressed.
