The question calls for an answer, and I propose to answer it : The Patriation Reference as Constitutional Method

The 30th anniversary of the Reference re Resolution to Amend the Constitution is an opportunity to reflect on Canada’s constitutional tradition. While the Reference is most famous for articulating a constitutional convention requiring “substantial provincial consent”, I interrogate the Reference for its broader impact on constitutional law. Situating the Reference in its historical context, I argue that it was both a product of a peculiarly Canadian legal tradition, and a harbinger of important new directions in Canadian constitutional litigation and jurisprudence