The Clarity Act (Bill C-20), passed by Canada's Parliament in June 2000, establishes the strict conditions under which the federal government would negotiate a province's secession. It was directly prompted by the 1995 Quebec referendum, where the "No" side barely won with 50.58% to 49.42%, amid widespread controversy over the ambiguous ballot wording. Rooted in the 1998 Supreme Court secession reference and initiated under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, the act requires both a "clear question" and a "clear majority" (not just "50% plus one") for legitimate talks. Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Stéphane Dion championed this stance by writing three open letters challenging Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard's claims about unilateral independence, the simple majority threshold, and Quebec's territorial integrity. In retaliation, Quebec's National Assembly passed its own counter-legislation asserting its fundamental rights to self-determination, leaving Canada's legal framework and Quebec's separatist ambitions in stark constitutional opposition.