Sovereignty-association is the combination of two concepts; that of the sovereignty of the Quebec state and the economic and political association of this new independent state with Canada.
The Parti Québécois defines sovereignty as the power for a state to levy all its taxes, vote on all its laws and sign all its treaties.
The type of association between an independent Quebec and the rest of Canada was described as a monetary and customs union as well as joint political institutions to administer the relations between the two countries.
The main inspiration for this project was the then emerging European union.