From Aaland Islands to Quebec self-determination throughout the 20th century

From Aaland Islands to Quebec self-determination throughout the 20th century 

Contrary to this kind of self-determination, the Aalanders, through a legally novel claim, sought to separate from Finland in order to join Sweden—a territorial maneuver that would have altered Finland s borders and threatened its territorial integrity. Thus, the Aaland Islands case represents a first of its kind international jurisprudence on the topic of self-determination outside the decolonization or dissolution context. 

The seeds of the notion of external self-determination were planted by the Commission in the 1920s, and they would be further developed by the Canadian Supreme Court in the infamous Quebec secession case several decades later. It is interesting to compare the two cases (Aaland Islands and Quebec) while they stem from completely different eras, address distinct geographical regions, and use different language, their approach to issues of self-determination is strikingly similar. 

---