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WMHSMUN XXVIII
SOCHUM
Canada
Topic 1: Right of Self-Determination
Canada has strong connections with the aboriginal self-government in Canada.
Aboriginal people may claim an inherent right to self-government; they do not seek to
be granted self-government, but simply to have their pre-existing right recognized in
law. Therefore, Canada feels it necessary to have an elastic and comprehensive policy to
be implemented in international law regarding the rights of self-determination to be
granted to groups. The final resolution should incorporate the precise definition of the
right of self-determination, its content, its bearers, and the proper means for its
implementation.
Canada believes in a holistic evaluation of different groups situations through a
multi-faceted approach that takes both the group or colonys initial reason to secede as
well as numerous aspects such as but not limited to a) economic stability of the colony or
group b) political situation of group and/or sovereign country, c) group or colonys ties
and/or relationship with sovereign country, d) groups independent identity compared to
the sovereign nations and e) geographic distance. These aspects are not independent of
each other but are interrelated. Canada proposes the creation of a sub-committee of
SOCHUM to evaluate these different factors.
The economic stability of a colony or group is critical to its self-reliance and
development after claiming sovereignty; therefore, it is important for the country to have
sufficient economic activity The region must have a strong base, which can be calculated
through the private sector GDP. The private sector GDP is the critical indicator because
public sector GDP can be skewed by central government spending, and it best represents
the aggregate activity of businesses, thus indicating the employment capacity of the
region (how well it makes and keeps jobs). Also, it conveys the regions ability to obtain
taxed revenues to create reserves for the new government and and illustrates how well the
group will be able to compete externally with worldwide trade. Subordinate factors
include but are not limited to: a) the size and strength of the financial system (because for
any economic activity you need a good banking system) b) the calculation of GDP/capita
(because low GDP/capita shows low levels of education, productivity). This can be seen
within Canadas borders in Quebecs; Quebec wished to secede but decided to remain
with Canada because they felt it would benefit them more economically that way. A
group within the UN subcommittee led by top UN economists to analyze the economic
sustainability of said region.
The political situation in both the group and the sovereign country and their
relationship with each other are extensions of their historical relationship. However, the
analysis of political situation is not a binary study, and therefore cannot be quantified or
qualified in black and white. Canada feels that if the political situation in either area is
tense because of a hostile relationship between the group and the country, the situation
should be evaluated differently from if the relationship is a neutral one. However, factors
that should be taken into account in the evaluation are but not limited to: a) the history of
the group - regarding the Crimea issue, the fact that the Crimea was once part of Russia