This straightforward account of the history and future of the idea of partition will be an invaluable resource for those who want to understand the pros, cons, and various possibilities of the partition option. McAlpine argues that Quebec cannot separate from Canada and expect to retain its present borders. It is not an analysis of the Quebec separation movement, nor does it explore what, if any, modifications are needed to the Canadian constitution or governmental administrative arrangements to “renew federalism.” In exploring the partition option, McAlpine neither seeks to legitimize brinkmanship games nor puts forth a call to arms. He simply examines partition as a strategy to be enacted only if all other strategies to unite Canada fail. He maps out the specifics of how Quebec might be partitioned in the event of separation, and devotes special attention to aboriginal land claims and the status of Montreal.

Trevor McAlpine's profile page

Trevor McAlpine is a Montreal businessman.

"McAlpine...provides a useful introduction to the practical realities of the partition option." — British Journal of Canadian Studies

"McAlpine writes clearly and simply about a complex, emotional issue. His case is based upon the impeccable logic that if Canada is divisible, then so too is Quebec." — Quill & Quire

"For anyone who deigns to give the idea of partition a serious hearing, however, Trevor McAlpine's The Partition Principle is a good place to start. The true value of the book is that it holds a mirror up to the cant of many a separatist myth and jars those who have been led to believe that the path to separation would be civilized and painless out of their dogmatic slumber." — Montreal Gazette