ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a specific aspect of the last category of issues, namely the legal question of “majority. The spectrum of centripetal or centrifugal transfers of sovereignty behind the WHY searching for “majority” support is wide. WHY seeking a “majority” in the European Union context may have to do with reforming the union, that is to say, may concern the ratification by member states of amending treaties. For quorums of participation, WHAT a “majority” is about in a referendum requires to meet a preliminary condition. As the preamble of the Act states, “the House of Commons, as the only political institution elected to represent all Canadians, has an important role in identifying what constitutes a clear question and a clear majority.” The demonstration relied on the WH-questions, borrowed from linguistics, with a view to showing the many content-information pertaining to the word “majority” used in referendum narratives.
